Google Biochar in India 2025: Turning Farm Waste into Profit

What if the crop residue we usually burn could actually earn money—and clean the air while doing it? Deep in the heart of India’s countryside, something unexpected is growing—and it is not just crops.

Now, instead of just selling their crops, farmers are turning leftover plant waste into biochar. It looks like black soil, makes the land healthier, and gives farmers a new way to earn money.

Google Biochar in India: Even big companies like Google are paying attention. Google has promised to buy 1 lakh tons of carbon credits from biochar projects in India by 2030. That means this simple farm solution is now being taken seriously around the world. This is not just for show—it is one of the biggest deals ever made for biochar and climate action.

Biochar is a carbon-rich substance produced by heating agricultural residues in a low-oxygen setup—kind of like charcoal but biochar is made for the soil to enhance soil fertility. It traps carbon that would otherwise go into the air as pollution. When mixed into soil, it improves fertility and helps the environment to reduce the carbon level in the atmosphere.

Here is the cool part: For every ton of CO₂ trapped, a farmer earns a carbon credit. Companies like Google buy these credits to balance out their own emissions. So basically:

• Waste gets used.
• Soil gets better.
• Farmers earn extra.
• Planet gets cleaner.

In short: “Farmers stop pollution → earn credits → companies buy those credits to stay eco-friendly.”

• India produces 500 million tons of crop residue each year (MNRE).
• Using just 20% of that for biochar = More than 100 million tons of CO₂ has been safely captured and stored, instead of being released into the air.
• India issued 278 million voluntary carbon credits between 2010–2022 (17% of the world’s total!).

Now, with Google teaming up with Indian climate-tech startup Varaha, all eyes are on Indian farmers.

In Gujarat, Varaha (a Google partner) is using troublesome plants like Prosopis Juliflora (vilayati kikar, Bellary jaali) to produce useful biochar. This plant messes up local ecosystems—so farmers are helping clean it up and turning it into profit.

• Over 1 lakh small farmers are involved.
• More than 2 million tons of CO₂ already been removed.
• Biochar replaces chemical fertilizers. So, it’s green farming, literally.

• Signed: 16 Jan 2025.
• Goal: 2030 Target: 1 lakh tons of carbon removal
  ♻️ Biochar Value: 1 ton = 2.5 credits
  🚀 Varaha’s Goal: 10 lakh credits/year
  
• While money figures are under wraps, experts guess this is a multi-crore investment. More states like Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu could soon follow Gujarat’s lead.

📈 India’s Carbon Credit Scene – Growing Fast India already has two systems in place:

1. PAT Scheme – for industrial emission reductions.
2. REC System – for renewable energy credits.

Now, the Indian Carbon Market (ICM) is taking shape, as the country sets its sights on expanding its carbon credit potential. Thanks to the Energy Conservation Amendment Act, 2022, both big companies and local farmers will soon be able to trade carbon credits more easily.

• Saved 106 million tons of CO₂ since 2015 (PAT (Perform, Achieve, and Trade)).
• In just the first half of 2023, India crossed 163 million retired carbon credits—outpacing China in the carbon game!
• Buyers include Shell, Michelin, and Vitol Asia.

Country/Region	Avg. Carbon Credit Price (₹/ton CO₂e)
India	₹843.80
Australia	₹2,193.89
China	₹1,233.64
EU	₹5,911.69
Singapore (2030 forecast)	₹4,219.02 – ₹6,750.44

India’s credits are cheap right now—but rising demand + better certification = rising prices. That means more earning for rural India.

• Farmers don’t know about carbon credits yet.
• Biochar tech is not available everywhere.
• Certification = expensive and complicated.
• Trust in the market is still growing.

• Use KVKs to teach farmers.
• Develop apps for credit tracking.
• Set up public-private partnerships for support.
• Build small biochar plants in major agri-zones.