Production of compost fertilizers in homestead areas has become popular bringing fortune to hundreds of people including small and marginal farmers and distressed women in recent years in northern Bangladesh.
Compost fertilisers have huge local demand and farmers purchase those for applying in crop fields to get increased crop production side by side reviving soil health and fertility by adding necessary soil nutrients, officials, experts and scientists said.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said compost fertilizers are being produced using cow dung, wood dust, oil cake, water hyacinths, organic manure, various wastages, leaves and other waste materials.
The small and marginal farmers, poor, distressed and landless people including women are earning profits and alleviating poverty through producing huge compost fertilisers in their homesteads and selling those to the farmers throughout the year, he added.
Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khondker M Mesbahul Islam said application of compost fertilizer can increase crop production by up to 15 per cent reducing use of chemical fertilizers to improve soil health.
Rice scientist and Associate Director Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid said crop production might increase further if balanced use of chemical fertilizers along with compost fertilisers was ensured adopting conservation agriculture technologies.
The nationwide annual consumption of urea, TSP, MoP and other chemical fertilizers and pesticides would reduce by over 30 per cent if production of compost fertilizers was increased further and its popular usages were ensured in the country, he added.
Regional Additional Director of the DAE Sikander Ali said compost fertilizers improve soil textures, fertility, increases water and nutrient storing capacities, upgrades sandy land into sandy-loamy and sandy loamy into loamy and then into clay soil in course of time.
Side by side ensuring food security by increasing crop yield, adequate use of compost fertilisers helps regaining lost population of extinct insecticides, earthworms, birds, fishes and maintain ecology, bio-diversity and environment.
The ‘One House, One Farm’ project and dissemination of information communication technologies are playing vital role in increasing homestead compost fertiliser production through creating awareness among the villagers and farmers, he added.
Consultant of International Rice Research Institute in Bangladesh Dr MG Neogi said increased use of compost fertilisers would increase crop yield and improve environment, ecology and bio-diversity amid adverse climate change impacts.
Talking to BSS, farmers Ayub Ali, Abedur Rahman and Samir Kumar said they have been getting excellent yield of Boro and Aman rice using compost fertilizers and only 23-kg urea per bigha in place of previous 35 kg by adopting the leaf colour chart method.
Distressed women Bulbuli Begum, Sabiha, Kakoli and Nurun Nahar of different villages in Gangachara upazila said they have achieved economic self-reliance through producing compost fertilisers at their homesteads and selling those in recent years. -BSS, Rangpur
