The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon

Compost fertiliser is gaining popularity in Thakurgaon district as farmers are reaping higher benefits in terms of costing and crop production by using these homemade fertilisers. Many farmers are making compost fertilizers themselves. Compost fertilisers are seen plied up on the yards of many farmers in the district.

Mostofa Alom of Bhalatoir village in Pirganj Upazila and Shuzzaudholah of Terraya village in Horipur upazila under Thakurgoan district told the Correspondent today that they were now quite of the detrimental effects of the chemical fertilizers.

The two farmers said they did not use chemical fertilisers indiscriminately or unnecessarily as they are destroying the productivity of their lands. They said most of the farmers of their village are now using organic fertilisers like cowdung as water hyacinth as a substitute of the chemical fertilizers.

A senior official of Agriculture Extension Department (AED), Thakurgaon told the correspondent that chemical fertilisers have one or two ingredients, but a plant requires at least 13 ingredients for its survival and proper growth.

He added that the enriched compost manure, with is a mixture of bio and chemical components, has almost all the ingredients that a plant needs.

He opined that the compost fertilisers could be used directly without mixing it with chemical fertilisers on certain Rabi and Aman crops and vegetables.

From time immemorial, farmers have been using various kinds of fertiliser to increase productivity of their lands. In primitive age farmers used to rely totally on the nature. They did not get the touch of artificiality. But with the beginning of industrial age farming system, chemical fertilisers have replaced the natural ones to show farmers the ways to increase the productivity of their land. But there are also some baneful effects of using chemicals.

The crops grown out of chemical fertilisers lack taste compared to those grown by using natural fertilisers.