Vermicomposting benefits Mymensingh farmers

Vermicompost fertiliser, popularly known as Kenchu Sar is gaining popularity among the farmers of Mymensingh district in recent years as it is playing a significant role in producing more yield of crops than chemical fertilisers.

Five years ago, Badal Haider, a resident of the Kewatkhali area of Mymensingh city, took up rooftop vegetable cultivation as a hobby. However, his plants kept dying due to insect attacks.

“I tried using chemical fertilisers, but even that failed and I did not get much yield from the garden. About a year ago I found out about vermicompost and started using it as a last resort,” he said.

Badal added that not only did he get rid of the insects, but the yield has also been good. “Vermicompost is organic, so the vegetables are also safe to consume,” he said.

Many other vegetable farmers in the area are using vermicompost in their fields as an alternative to chemical fertiliser due to its low cost.

A company named Agrotech is the major supplier of vermicompost in the area. The organisation is operating on large-scale production of vermicompost using over 2 lakh earthworms.

They produce about 10 tonnes of vermicompost monthly from 10 fertiliser pits and annually earn about Tk 15 lakh from sales.

In 2011, this organisation started its journey with only 3,000 earthworms and a monthly production of 50 kg vermicompost.

The owner of Agrotech situated in the Beltali area of the district is Mostak Ahmed. From a small production house on two decimals of land, this company has now expanded to 10 decimals of land.

In response to a question, Mostak told The Business Post that in the past six years, he has also provided free training and earthworms to some 150 small entrepreneurs on vermicompost production.

A beneficiary of the training, Zahid said many of them have started producing vermicompost with the earthworms received from Mostak’s organisation.

“Many of us are producing vermicompost for commercial purposes while some are making it to be used in their own farmlands. The youths of the area are becoming self-reliant through this,” he said.

Mostak Ahmed said, “Our fertiliser has been tested and approved by the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA). It is 100 per cent organic and safe to use.”

He added that he is happy that his produce is helping the marginal farmers of the area with a better yield and profit. Their fertiliser consignments are now being sent to different parts of the country.

According to Mostak, his vermicompost is also being used in the trees planted for beautification in the city.

“My main objective is to support the government in the movement for producing chemical-free vegetables and expand cultivation,” he said.

When contacted, a Professor of the Department of Horticulture of Bangladesh Agricultural University Dr Ashraful Islam said excessive use of chemical fertiliser, non-use of organic manure and continuous cultivation of the same crop in the same land are the main causes of decreasing fertility of agricultural land. He emphasises the use of organic fertiliser.