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Category: Agricluture

Now know Paddy cut count from your mobile App
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: Bangladesh is an agricultural paradise with fertile lands that cultivates gold it seems. We have been able to become self-dependent on paddy cultivation. Apart from that we also have stellar agricultural produce for vegetables, grains, commercial crops, and more. So, it has been a disappointing notion that we do not have as many agricultural technologies that help with production. The Newest breakthrough is the app that lets users know how much paddy has been cut. It’s about time that mobile apps for agricultural logistics came forward and it seems we are getting quite a good app that will benefit the farmers a lot.
The Combine harvester has been one of the newest additions to efficient agriculture in terms of the Bangladesh landscape. ACI Motors brought this technology from the Japanese Yanmar. The remote-controlled machine can be managed from a distance. The Accompanying smartphone app is the crux of our story here. The app is linked to a respective machine. It tracks the overall activities of the paddy cultivation. This is a huge boost in terms of Agricultural Management. We are at the cusp of breaking into an era of production that needs the involvement of Artificial intelligence and smart technologies more than ever.
Bangladesh Agricultural University has reported that the per capita income of farmers and Agricultural professionals is on the rise. Methods of Production and labor management has changed as well. There may be a deficit or difficulty in acquiring labor services in the coming days. In that front technology bundles like the Yanmar, Smart assist and Combine harvester will become crucial cogs in the wheel. There is a need for new technology and a new workforce that can use and manage this new technology properly. This was the overall message shared by the former vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agriculture University Mr. Sattar Mondol.
With Irrigation, Cultivation, and Insecticide work being 95% mechanized, it is only a matter of time we cover all bases. The Smart Assist app can monitor the harvesters’ performance, check if it needs repairs, and counts the paddy amount as its being operated. With remote management available, modern farmers can rest easy with this new addition into AGRO-TECH.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
October 14, 2020
The Prime Minister warns against prolonged floods
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: Prime Minister of Bangladesh has warned against prolonged floods in the country. The year 2020 has been a difficult year for the global population with a global pandemic, economic instability, socio-racial movements, and a flurry of tragedies unraveling every day. Bangladesh has been suffering from its own issues outside the COVID-19 pandemic. Bangladesh has seen floods this year that have been developing in the last month or so. Rural areas have seen the unfathomable loss of life, limb, and livelihood because of the flood. With the coastal population being forced to move inland, and rural people clinging on barely, the prime minister heeded warning to authorities in the case of long term ramifications regarding the floods.
On August 10, the Prime Minister presided over a virtual meeting regarding the issue. She talked about the possibility of a lengthy flood. She warned the authorities and officials regarding the matter. The PM emphasized the need to make preparations for the upcoming floods. The current situation and the upcoming possibility of this being a lengthy flood took center stage in the meeting. The PM also ordered concerned authorities to prepare for rehabilitation work that will follow the floods regardless of length and magnitude.
After the meeting in the afternoon, the PM’s orders were briefed by Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Haque. The PM said in the meeting that there are signs of this flood being more devastating in the coming months. The area surrounding Bangabandhu Bridge in Jamuna has seen water levels come down the danger zone. This has also been the case in the Padma region. Yet there are still forecasts of rain. The timeline of the Bhadra month and the weather forecasts mean that there will be considerable flooding.
The agricultural protection against flooding was also discussed in the meeting. Anwarul Islam informed about the agricultural ministry having a separate rehabilitation program. The PM has stressed on preserving Amon seeds as a considerable amount of seeds has been damaged. The development of Amon seeds that do not get damaged in spite of 15 days of submersion is also in the works. Although the Amon yield won’t be affected as of now, a lengthy flood might throw a spanner in the works. So the Prime Minister put emphasis on making sure there would be no food shortage in the coming months.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
Photo Courtesy: The Daily Star
August 13, 2020
Rising sea levels for climate change, a threat to coastal farmers in Bangladesh
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: Climate Change is a worrying prospect for the whole world and nations have been taking steps to brace for impact. But that goes tenfold for a delta nation like Bangladesh. Previous studies have shown that Bangladesh will be one of the victims of the effects of climate change. A very haunting example of this can be seen in the prediction that pertains to agriculture. It has been predicted that the rising water levels might cause coastal farmers of Bangladesh to move inland.
Although a riverine country, the coastal farmers have to contend with already dire situations regarding saltwater. The coastal farmers in Bangladesh have to move inland as saltwater can damage the produce. Coupled with the fact that floods have forced farmers to move to fisheries to compensate for losses, the climate change-related water level rising might affect the most vulnerable groups.
The Ohio State University associate professor Joyce Chen revealed all of this in her study regarding the farming challenges of Bangladesh pertaining to climate change. She revealed in her study that climate change will affect those who have the fewest resources to begin with. The poor marginalized farmers of the coastal regions who cannot rely on other income would have to move inland to save their lives, let alone occupation. Coastal farmland is under threat because of how much soil salinity is rising. Bangladesh will be hit hard by the change.
It is expected that 10-18 millimeters of coastal land will disappear every year as climate change takes a toll. With 40% of Bangladesh’s agricultural land already under threat, there will be a shift of livelihood of close to 1.3 billion. Agriculture will change course to aquaculture as fisheries will become a source of income for the affected populace.
Joyce Chen and her co-author Vallerie Mueller have voiced their concerns regarding the incoming danger of people of Bangladesh. She has said that the most vulnerable of farmers will be hit pretty hard by the changing sea levels. Their lives and livelihood will be a bone of contention in the coming era. Although migration to other countries will see a decrease to compensate for the expected change of profession, it is worrying that not every farmer can resort to change. The authors have urged similar countries to learn from Bangladesh’s case. They also called for policies for transition and transformation.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
August 12, 2020
80000 crores allocated for food and agricultural imports
Every year a huge sum of money is being spent only on food imports. Bangladesh is still dependent on imports of edible oil, oilseeds, milk and dairy products, pulses, fruits, and spices. The World Bank says in an analysis of statistics on agricultural and food products imported into the country between 2015 and 2016, presented in the FAO’s annual statistics that Bangladesh is importing goods worth an average 720 crore dollars annually.
After conversion on the basis of the current exchange rate, the amount in Bangladeshi currency stands at more than 60,000 crores. If cotton imports are taken into account outside the figures presented by the World Bank, the cost of importing food and agricultural products will exceed 60000 crore taka. Bangladesh has spent more than 24000 crores on cotton exports in 2018-19 as well.
Data from the World Bank shows that more than half of the total import expenditure on other agricultural and food products other than cotton is spent on importing four products. Of this, 26 percent is spent on edible oil (18 percent on palm oil and 10 percent on soybean and other edible oils).
Apart from this, the cost of importing wheat and sugar is 14 percent and 11 percent of the total expenditure respectively. Moreover, 6 percent of the total expenditure is being spent on importing dried vegetables, 6 percent on rice, and 6 percent on soybean seed. Besides, 4 percent is being spent on milk and cream imports, 3 percent on maize, and 3 percent on animal feed.
In addition, oil cakes, apples, and other fruits, onions, and other spices cost 2 percent each, 1 percent is spent on importing seven products. These are citrus fruit, flour, wheat, ginger, saffron, turmeric, gram, and fish products.
Hamidur Rahman, a member of the expert pool of the Ministry of Agriculture and former Director-General of the Department of the Agriculture Extension (DAE), thinks that there is a huge import dependence on food and agricultural products although able to produce locally, that opportunity was not used in Bangladesh. This has also increased the pressure on the foreign exchange due to increased import dependence.
The Ministry of Agriculture is currently working to increase the cultivation of oilseeds and pulses, he said, adding that the period is being shortened by increasing the use of more high-yielding varieties in the Boro and Aman seasons. This will bring out several lakh hectares of land. Then it will be possible to possible to cultivate oil and pulses in these lands. Although wheat production has not increased at that rate due to weather conditions, opportunities are being used to increase production,
According to the statistics, in the 2018-19 financial year, against the production of 12 lakh tons of wheat, about 57 lakh tons have been imported. Due to a kind of stagnation in production, the cost of importing wheat has exceeded 9,500 crore taka. The same is true of edible oils and oilseed. The lion’s share of the demand for both types of products has to be met through imports.
About 20000 crore taka is going out every year for the import of these products. On the other hand, milk production in the country has doubled to 99 lakh tons in the last few years. But the demand is not being met. Even after this, there is a deficit of about 5 million tons. As a result, there is a kind of import dependence in this case as well. Given the right plan, it is possible to meet the demand for milk and dairy products through production locally.
With the food and agriculture imports coming in, it should be apparent that we are going to be better equipped for the post-COVID slump. It has been predicted by the pundits and gurus of the economics sphere.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
July 12, 2020
Agriculture Budget of 2020
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: The budget declaration has always been a topic for discussion and more often than not debate among citizens, experts, even international mediums. That time of the year has come around again as the Bangladesh Budget for 2020-2021 has been made available from the public. Our agriculture is a strong driving force behind both our economy as well as our environmental balance as well. So it would be a good idea to take a look at the biggest takeaways from the Agricultural portion of the budget 2020-2021.
A firm concentration on the ongoing Covid-19 situation
A very noticeable part of what the budget entails is how much of it gives importance to tackling the ongoing pandemic. The agriculture part of it is no exception. As a part of the previously predicted food crisis due to the pandemic, the budget presents it as the ultimate challenge for the nation. The budget has emphasized on the continuation of activities for encouraging agriculture and bolster our self-dependence on rice that we have achieved. These activities along with. It also sheds light on the Amon and Boro bumper production and how we need more workers to get that paddy into the storehouses. Stress has been put on to invest effort and time into wheat production so that we can achieve proper standards.
To make accessories and necessary materials like seeds, fertilizer, cultivation tools and machinery more accessible for the COVID-19 crisis period was also a notable addition to the budget proceedings. To put it into better perspectives, bracing for the economic and operational impact of this pandemic was one of the key aspects of the agricultural budget.
Sustainable Cultivation and Innovation
Another notable addition to the budget was innovation and sustainable practices. Seeds of crops and produce that can withstand harsh weather was taken up in 2009. And now the efforts to continue the research has been mentioned in the budget which has 109 breeds.
The investment of 3198 crore towards mechanization of agricultural activities is a welcome addition. Deficits of 9500 crore and reinvestment of 5000 crore was also mentioned. And chemical fertilizer prices are to be stable during the fiscal year.
Fisheries and Livestock
Another part of the agricultural spectrum is also the Fisheries and Livestock breeding. Provisions for these is also quite visible. It talks about how we are self-sufficient towards fulfilling our protein demands. Also, the Covid-19 risk of not being able to fulfill demands in the lockdown environment was a topic of discussion. To rehabilitate the fisheries industry, the government will take the necessary steps in post-COVID times.
Deep-Sea Fishing activities
Another very notable addition to the budget is the deep sea fishing activities. The budget states the establishing of the “Marine Fishing Laws -2020” which entails fishing standards and regulations for doing business with such. The deep-sea fishing of Tuna has great potential although the activities have not begun yet. Sea Vessels to facilitate such fishing is to be collected according to the budget.
Funds into researching deep sea fishing, fish breeds along with poultry, livestock has also been mentioned. Innovations, inventions, patents of several researching has been added into the budget.
Food Security
To provide food for the populace during and after the COVID pandemic, provisions have been taken. Targets of 7.98 lakh metric tons of Amon, 8 lakh metric ton of boro, and 11.5 lakh metric ton of rice collection limit has been taken. The most affected corona victims have to be cared more along with people living below the poverty line. Provisions for their food have also been made in the budget.
The provisions for food security for 2020-2021 is 22, 489 crores which is an increment from last year (21,484 crores).
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
June 17, 2020
Boro Rice procurement far from the target
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: Under the very dire situation of a Pandemic and multiple calamities, the collection and procurement of Boro Rice have been way off the mark. The government has ordered a portion of Boro that is way lower than the initial target projections were thought to be. With the condition of the Covid-19 getting more confusing and worse at the same time, it’s been discouraging to see dwindling numbers of Boro Procurement this year.
The Procurement drive had made some lofty goals in the buildup. The target of Boro Paddy Procurement was 800,000 tons this year. Only 7750 tons were procured by the director-general of food, which is less than one percent of the target in mind. In the case of Parboiled rice from millers, only 6% of the 1000,000 tons target was procured by the food office. The drive began on April 26 and would go up to August 21.
Farmer’s interest in selling to the market as high as the prices increased compared to the last year. The farmers were opting not to sell to public warehouses because of the government policy of not buying paddy above 14% moisture. With the targets of Paddy, Parboiled, and sunburn rice being twice the size of last year’s target, the purchase and procurement speed has been dismal, to say the least. The Directorate General of Food (DGF) has addressed the situation as undesirable and hopes to strengthen the purchase efforts in the remaining days of the drive.
The continuous rainfall, Cyclone Amphan, and the Eid holidays are to blame for the lackluster speed of procurement. The importance of procurement of Boro Paddy has reached apex levels as the pandemic requires more food stocks for the poor people in the coming days. With a 12% increase of food distribution for relief, Open Market Sale, and food-friendly programs for supporting the poor raised the volume to 24.5 tons within the last one year. The DGF itself has a stock limit of 19.5 tons of food.
While the targets are a far cry from the current procurement numbers, the food stock needs to be close to the target level. The country representative of International Food Policy Research Institute, Akhter Ahmed, emphasized this point of stocking up food for the coming days. The drive has been said to be on its way to success. The prices being high in the market coupled with the market being quite optimistic, this was the perfect time for the Farmers to cash in. Because of Government’s high purchase promise Millers stocked the public storages according to their commitments with the DGF.
IFPRI representative Akhter Ahmed has also advised the government to buy the paddy even if the moisture levels are higher than usual. Experts like MA Sattar Mandal have advised to stock up 20 lakh tons of food for the upcoming days. Covid-19 time is a testing duration and the people need proper stocks of food.
The DGF has further ordered officials to accelerate the Boro Rice procurement plans to get close to the target purchase.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
Photo Courtesy: World Grain
June 7, 2020
Ten percent mangoes damaged due to Cyclone Amphan
Faruq Ahmed: Due to Cyclone Amphan, One lakh twenty thousand metric tonnes of mango has damaged. It amounts to ten percent of the country’s annual production of mango. Most of the mangoes which were supposed to be reaped within some days got knocked off the trees due to the mighty cyclone Amphan that brushed over the two districts.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), there is a total of 4,115 hectares of land were used for cultivating mangoes with a target of 40,000 tonnes in the seven upazilas of Satkhira. Nonetheless, the cyclone Amphan spoiled at least 83 percent of mangoes. Rajshahi Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) that mango was cultivated on 17,573 hectares of areas with a target of 210,000 tons of mangoes current year. About 12 to 15 percent mangoes fell from the trees due to the overnight stormy wind which might cause loss around Tk. 10 crore of we hypothetically rate per kg mango at Tk 40.
Rashed Iftekhar, agriculturist at the Department of Agricultural Extension’s control room in Dhaka was revealed this information. Bangladesh’s total 22.31 lakh hectares of orchard, mangoes in about 7,384 hectares were damaged in the cyclone, he also added.
Now, mango farmers have urged the government to purchase mangoes with the engagement of fruit processing industries. By this way, their losses will be minimized.
Dr Sorof Uddin, senior scientific officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, said to the media the district administration may take an urgent initiative to give the invitation to fruit processing industries for procuring the mangoes. Naturally, farmers start plucking mangoes midway through may every year while authorities set specific timeframes for its harvest in different districts of the country. The mango farmers also requested the Department of Agricultural Marketing for placing transport and marketing the mangoes to Dhaka and other places in the country as well.
Photo Courtesy: Dhaka Tribune
May 22, 2020
Bangladesh to Dispose of Toxic DDT
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: Bangladesh has finally made a decision to dispose of the 500 stock of toxic DDT that has been stored in Bangladeshi storehouses. An infamous substance for spreading toxicity, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or DDT in short, is an illegal pesticide that was stored for a long time in storehouses in Bangladesh.
As a part of a United Nations led campaign will see Bangladesh hopefully get rid of the storage which has been in Bangladesh for as long as thirty-four years. The import now is at the Chottogram Medical sub-depot or MSD, and will be shipped to Germany to be incinerated and destroyed for good.
As a part of the Government’s 42 million USD project titled the ‘Pesticide Risk Reduction in Bangladesh’, the DDT disposal will cost about 8.29 million of the overall budget. The operations will be carried out in conjunction with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
The Global Environment Facility is funding the disposal operations. The GEF’s goal is to help manage the most worrying environmental problems of the world, as it was established on the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. If carried out smoothly, Bangladesh will be free of a troublesome component that has been polluting the environment for a long time.
The United States of America Banned the substance back in 1972. The worldwide prohibition of DDT commenced in 2004 under the Persistent Organic Pollutions Stock Convention. But in between the two dates, a WHO led and Asian Development Bank-financed project had imported the DDT in 1985. As the substance was not in technical compliance, the stock remained in the Chottogram MSD.
With subsequent natural calamities like floods affecting Bangladesh in the following years, the substance was washed away into the surrounding environment. It was already damaged due to the humidity and brought about damages as a result. On a DDT crisis workshop, a government official from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change has said that the stock might be the reason of cancer that led to two of his colleagues’ deaths.
Bangladesh’s riverine lands and the weather patterns would have meant that continued warehousing of the stock could have led to dire environmental and health damages to the surrounding area and people alike. The people and the environment can breathe a sigh of relief because of the announcement.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
June 21, 2019
Light-trap Technology to Help Farmers
Johirul Haque: Light-trap, an environment-friendly method to detect harmful insects is helping hundreds of farmers in different areas of the Mymensingh during this ongoing Aman season. The farmers are getting benefits from this technology and they are very enthusiastic to use it, said Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials here.
The DAE sources said they have taken the programme throughout the district with a view to detecting the harmful insects in the Aman fields and to use the insecticides accordingly to save the crops. The very low-cost technology is also helpful for the ecological balance, said the officials.
In many cases, the farmers use insecticides indiscriminately without knowing about the proper insecticides to kill the harmful insects and the farmers have to cost more money, said the officials adding “indiscriminate use of pesticides also kill the useful insects, endangering the environment”.
Around 2625 light-traps have already been set up at 525 blocks in 12 Upazilas of the district.
Narayan Chandra Basak, Deputy Director of DAE told this correspondent that light- trap programme has been implementing in the district for last few years to help the farmers to manage pest effectively with low-cost. This year we gave more emphasis on the programme, he said.
During September and October, the farmers face serious pest attack every year and they have to cost more money using pesticides indiscriminately for pest control, said the deputy director. He also said the farmers go for indiscriminate use of pesticides as they do not know what pesticides actually they need.
Over 2,58,955 hectares of land were brought under Aman cultivation in the district this year. This technology has reduced use of indiscriminate pesticides to nearly 50 percent as farmers’ response to this technology, said the deputy director.
The farmers are also learning about the harmful and useful insects through this technology and such identification is much needed for maintaining ecological balance, added the official.
I visited the method at the field level and it has got a very positive response from the farmers’ side, said the official.
The technology is easy to handle, so the farmers can carry it from one field to another round the season according to their need, sources said.
The DAE sources said they set up the light-traps at night using traditional lights, charger light or electric bulbs and a pot with detergent or kerosene mixed clear water and the pot is put under the lights to draw the insects. The insects fall into the water kept in the pot and thus the existence of harmful and beneficial insects in the field is identified, said sources.
Sources also informed that if the existence of harmful insects is found, agricultural experts render necessary advice to the farmers.
Contacted, Mahbubul Alam, Muktagacha Upazila Agriculture officer said, no harmful insects have been detected in the Upazila so far. He observed that light- trap technology is saving the Aman filed from harmful insects and helping the farmers to learn about an environment-friendly technology as well.
He also said this programme has been implementing in 45 blocks in 10 unions of the Upazila. This technology would make a positive impact in the field of agriculture benefiting farmers, hoped the official.
Hazrat Ali, a farmer of village Kandinau of Kumargata union in Muktagacha said, he was acquainted with the technology for the first time this year and he attained knowledge for operating the technology to detect harmful insects.
This technology will encourage the farmers and it will boost Aman production, hoped Hazrat Ali. The light-trap method has inspired hundreds of farmers of the district in the last couple of years and many farmers have been successfully using the nature-friendly technology to detect the harmful and beneficial insects, needed to reap a good harvest, said Mohammad Abdul Hannan, Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
September 9, 2013
Environment-Friendly Vermicompost
Johirul Haque: Environment-Friendly Vermicompost (an environment-friendly compost produced using earthworm) has created a positive trend among hundreds of farmers in Phulbaira Upazila of Mymensingh. The compost is very helpful for the farmers and the environment as well, sources said. The farmers need less money to make the compost and it is much cheaper than chemical fertilizers, farmers said.
Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB) under its project Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Programme (CPRP) is running the Environment-Friendly Vermi-compost programme at Koyer Chala, Bakta, Enayetpur, Rangamatia, Kanchichura and Nischintapur villages in Phulbaria to make the rural poor women self-reliant through producing vermicompost
The Environment-Friendly Vermicompost can be produced easily at homestead using a cement slab ring or a big earthen bowl (chari) to keep the earthworms. Once the bin is ready, bedding materials like sand, small pieces of brick is put in it. The worms put in the bin are covered with a layer of bedding, gunny bags or other structure to protect the worms against sun, downpours, and birds. Twenty kgs of cow dung along with 20 kgs bio-waste like straw, hyacinth and vegetable waste are kept in the bin as feedstock for half-kg worms.
The amount of bio-compost what the earthworms eat up, they release its half amount as ‘tea dust-like’ stool which is called vermicompost. Later the vermicompost is separated through chaloni (sieving/straitening).
At the initial stage, a grower will get 20 to 25 kgs vermicompost after 45 to 60 days. But the harvest period is reduced when the worms’ number increases at the bins, said CCDP sources.
The surplus worms can be sold at TK. 1500 per kg. One kg vermicompost is sold at TK. 8 while the price of chemical fertilizer is much higher, said sources. Now some 200 women are involved in vermicompost production in Phulbaria.
In comparison with the chemical fertilizers, vermicompost is better as it has nutritive value for containing the soil fertility. It also helps the soil to grow plants even in the dry season, said CCDB sources. The vermicompost improves soil organic matter, maximizes retention of nutrients in the soil and maintains a balanced soil level, sources added.
Like many vermicompost producers, Jahan Ara of village Koyer Chala is producing vermicompost at her homestead. She started vermicompost production one year ago and now she produces around eight per month and sells it at TK. 8 per kg.
Fatema, another woman of the same village now earns around TK. 3000 per month. Fazila of Bakta, Aysha of Nischintapur while Hasina and Jamila of Kanchichura village started producing vermicompost, seeing Fatema’s success.
Talking to this correspondent, some farmers of Koyer Chala said, they use vermicompost in their bitter-guard and brinjal fields and received a good result than using of chemical fertilizers.
Anwar Hossain said, they needed a little amount of TSP fertilizers after using vermicompost this year and the production cost came down.
The farmers also observed less pest attack in their fields after using of vermicompost, farmers informed.
Debasish Kumar Dey, area manager of CCDB said, vermicompost will not only help to improve the soil condition, but it will also reduce the use of chemical fertilizer in a great deal. He also said DAE should include vermicompost in farmer training curricula to train the farmers on vermicompost so that they can produce and use it in their fields.
The environment-friendly vermicompost can also be an income-generating programme for the poor rural women, added the official.
Narayan Chandra Basak, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension here said this compost fertilizer is an ideal nutrient source for plants as it is rich with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium than other traditional composts and it is beneficial for the natural environment.
Environment-Friendly Vermicompost, also an excellent fertilizer for maintaining ecological balance can make the soil’s structure well for good production decreasing the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers, said the deputy director. The vermicompost can help to produce chemical-free crops, he said adding “when the plants are strong, normally they face less pest attack”. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam, a professor of Soil Science Department of Faculty of Agriculture at Bangladesh Agricultural University said, vermicompost contains organic matters and increases water holding capacity, improves soil structure easing the water movement and aeration into the soil.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]
August 31, 2013