Refraining from overrated fertilisation for soil health protection stressed

Refraining from overrated fertilisation can be the crucial means of protecting soil health from further degradation together with boosting crop production to ensure food security for the gradually rising population.

Substantial and sustainable promotion of balanced fertilisation must be ensured everywhere in the farming system as the present government has been working intensively and relentlessly to this end.

Soil health experts made the observation while addressing the inaugural session of a five-day training course titled “Updating Upazila Land and Soil Resources Utilisation Guide” being held at the zonal office conference hall of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) on Saturday.

Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) hosted the workshop on behalf of its ‘Strengthening of Soil Resource and Research Facilities (SRSRF)’ Project for around 50 Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer (SAAOs) coming from Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj and Natore districts.

SRDI Director General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman addressed the session as the chief guest while DAE Additional Director Nazrul Islam and its Deputy Director Dr Motaleb Hossain spoke as special guests with SRDI Chief Scientific Officer Nazmul Islam in the chair.

SRDI Chief Scientific Officer Shahidul Islam, Principal Scientific Officers Dr Nurul Islam and Faruque Hossain and Senior Scientific Officer Sadia Afrin also spoke disseminated their expertise on the importance of soil test based fertilisation.

The soil health experts unanimously viewed that utmost emphasis should be given on habituating the grassroots farmers towards soil test-based balanced fertilisation. There would be no fertiliser crisis in the country if the farmers were enriched with the knowledge of balanced fertilization.

Field level officials and others concerned, particularly the SAAO, have a vital role to play to disseminate and expand the knowledge among the farmers in general.