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NETROKONA, Jan 17, 2025 (BSS) - Many farmers of the district have become successful in making them self-reliant by producing and marketing vermicompost, a natural fertilizer made from organic waste that has been broken down by earthworms.
 
Vermicompost, or earthworm fertilizer, is becoming well-liked in all 10 upazilas of the district, including Madan, Mohanganj, and Kendua, as the fertilizer amplifies the quantity of organic elements in soil, which can improve soil quality and crop yields also.
 
Aside from male farmers, female farmers are making profits by producing the fertilizer with little effort and seed money.

The local upazila agricultural office is providing various suggestions on how to produce earthworm fertilizer, creating enthusiasm among rural people on manufacturing the natural fertilizer.

Nowadays, farmers are applying excessive chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and various artificial hormones on their cropland with a hope to produce more crops, which is harmful for the soil, as these chemicals decrease the organic components of the topsoil.
 
There is no substitute to organic fertilizers to uphold soil equilibrium and good yields, as organic ingredients are the life or heart of the soil, and they are needed to keep the soil healthy and strong, agriculturists said.
 
Currently, at least 100 farmers of six villages under the union parishad are producing vermicompost and using it on their land along with selling additional amounts of the fertilizer after meeting their own demand.
 
Around 30-40 people are producing this fertilizer commercially here now.
 
Shakil Mahmud Khan, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer of Bekhairhati Block, said that farmers are producing vermicompost or earthworm fertilizer and also applying the compost on their land.
 
"Many people in my block are currently making good profit by producing this fertilizer commercially in line with our suggestions," he said.

"There is no alternative to organic fertilizer in protecting soil's health. The use of this fertilizer keeps the soil healthy, increases soil fertility, and increases crop productivity," he continued.

 Zarina Akhter of Bekhairhati under the Dalpa union in Kendua upazila started producing vermicompost in January of 2017.
 
Zarina Akhter said, "Currently, I sell 20-30 maunds of vermicompost every month at a cost of Taka 400 to 600 per maund."

"There is a lot of demand for this fertilizer, so I make good profit by producing this fertilizer at home," she added.

Raki Emran, a resident of the same area, said, "At first, two or three of us started making vermicompost, but now, being inspired by us, about a hundred farmers are producing organic fertilizer and using it on their land along with making a good profit by selling it at a cost of Taka 10 per kg."
 
Monowar Hossain, a businessman from the neighboring Ishwarganj upazila, who regularly buys vermicompost from Bekhairhati area, said, "I am using this fertilizer on my land and simultaneously, I am also making a financial profit by selling it commercially to others."
 
Kendua Upazila Agriculture Officer Humayun Dildar said farmers in all 13 unions of the upazila have been imparted training on vermicompost production.
 
"Currently, they are producing vermicompost," he said.
Vermicompost can be used on all types of crops, including paddy, wheat, jute, potato, cassava, onion, chili, turmeric, vegetables, corn, fruits, bananas, papaya, gourds, pumpkins, chichinga, cucumbers, shrimp, bitter gourd, beans, potal, kakrol, betel leaves, and seasonal flowers, he said.
 
He further said that the use of this fertilizer boosts fertility in the soil, increases the water-holding capacity of the soil, increases air circulation in the soil, improves soil texture, facilitates plant root growth, contains essential nutrients for plants, and reduces the cost of crop production as a supplement to chemical fertilizers.
 
Organic fertilizers encourage agricultural expansion and increase crop production, and almost every essential nutrient for plants is present in organic fertilizers, he said.
 
Besides, this fertilizer is being widely used in various fish ponds and shrimp enclosures to prepare food.
 
Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said vermicompost, or organic fertilizer, is very safe for the production of any fruit, vegetables, and crops.
 
The production of this fertilizer is increasing in various upazilas of the district. Many farmers are benefiting from the commercial production of the fertilizer.
 
"We, on behalf of the agriculture department, are also encouraging farmers to produce this fertilizer. If the use of such fertilizer is increased, people will get more safe agricultural yields.