Bogura woman becomes self-reliant by producing vermicompost

Suraiya Farhana Reshma, a resident of Bonga village of Bogura’s Sherpur upazila, has become self-sufficient by commercially producing vermicompost (organic fertiliser).

She achieved not only financial solvency for herself but also empowered other women in her locality and promoted the use of organic fertilisers in farmlands.

Talking to The Business Post, Reshma said she started producing vermicompost in 2017 in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Extension. Initially, she installed one ring slab with a capital of Tk 3,000 and used it to earn Tk 1,000 per month.

“Now, I produce vermicompost on 135 ring slabs installed on my homestead and earn Tk 45,000 to Tk 50,000 per month. After excluding the manufacturing costs, I make a profit of around Tk 30,000 to Tk 35,000,” said Reshma.

Reshma had a tough life, she said. “My father left my mother when I was just five years old. We began living all on our own at my grandparents’ house. My mother became a field officer of the Directorate General of Family Planning Bangladesh, earning only Tk 1,500 per month.”

“We were so poor, and it was difficult for my mother to bear the expenses of my education. That is why she married me off at the age of 15. However, my husband later became addicted to drugs and started to beat me horrifically for money. I had no way to save myself but to divorce him,” she said, explaining her situation.

“After the divorce, I came back to my mother’s residence, but the situation was the same again. That is why I thought of doing something on my own. I took training from the Jubo Unnayan Board, Bangladesh Mohila Unnayan Foundation, and Bangladesh Rural Development Board in vermicompost, vegetable cultivation, and cattle farming.”

Primarily, Reshma began rearing two cattle back in 2016. Afterwards, she took on to commercially produce vermicompost along with vegetable cultivation the following year. She never had to look back since then, she said.

The production area, located near her house premises, is a tin-shed, one-storey building consisting of 135 cement enclosures. Each house is four feet by 10 feet in size.

“We throw 40 maunds of vegetable scraps, cow dung and scrapped banana trees at each of these enclosures, release 10kg earthworms on that mixture and cover it with burlap sacks. After one month of decay, we get three to four tonnes of vermicompost,” she said while explaining her production process.

The farmers of the area said they used to apply different kinds of chemical fertilisers on their croplands. However, they now use vermicompost as it gives them a better yield at a lower price.

“I used to buy a kilogramme of chemical fertiliser for Tk 50 before, but now I just have to spend Tk 15 to get Reshma’s top-quality organic fertiliser,” said Ramjan, a farmer of the area.

Subir Kumar Pal, upazila women affairs officer from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, told The Business Post that Reshma had become an example for other women of the area.

“She has not only empowered herself but helped other women in the locality to be self-reliant as well. When most farmers are using chemical fertilisers, which is harmful to the soil and biodiversity in the long run, entrepreneurs like Reshma are doing inspirational work, marketing handmade organic fertilisers,” he said.

“If Reshma needs any help from us, we will surely be ready to assist her,” he added.