In a boost to sustainable agricultural research, Yash Sonawane, a first-year PhD scholar at the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), has brought laurels to the institute by winning the National Pune Agri Hackathon-2026.
Competing against top researchers, innovators and agri-entrepreneurs, Sonawane clinched the coveted position for his path-breaking PhD project titled “ProtoFeeds”.
Along with the winner’s trophy, he has been awarded research commercialisation grant of Rs 25 lakh to scale up his innovative model, said Dr Dheer Singh, Director, ICAR-NDRI.
The breakthrough project, developed under the Division of Livestock Production Management (LPM) at ICAR-NDRI, focuses on the theme of “Innovations in Renewable Energy in Agriculture and Farm Waste Management”. Named ProtoFeeds, the project designs a highly efficient, bio-circular system that utilises black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to aggressively convert municipal and agricultural organic waste into high-value protein meals, lipids and organic fertilisers, he added.
Rigorous livestock feeding trials validated under the study proved that substituting standard concentrate feed with 10% to 15% dried larvae significantly enhances body weight gain, nutrient digestibility and blood hemoglobin levels in animals without any adverse health effects.
The techno-economic model of ProtoFeeds was highly lauded by the national jury for its potential to revolutionize India’s “Waste to Wealth” initiatives, said the Director.
Compared to conventional composting or Bio-CNG setups, the automated BSFL bioconversion model slashes land requirements to just 1–2 acres per 100 tonnes per day, compresses waste processing times to just 12–15 days and offers a rapid commercial payback period of 1 to 3 years, he maintained.
Sonawane expressed gratitude for the exceptional academic environment, elite mentorship and institutional support provided by the Director and faculty of ICAR-NDRI, which paved the way for this landmark achievement.
The Rs 25 Lakh financial grant will be dedicated entirely to expanding the project’s research framework and commercial scale-up, positioning the institute at the forefront of smart, eco-friendly and sustainable agricultural enterprises.
