Vermicompost replaces chemical fertiliser

Vermicompost fertiliser is gaining popularity in all the nine upazilas of the district as it gives higher yield of crops than chemical fertilisers and also increases fertility of the soil.

Farmers process vermicompost in more than 2,000 concrete ring wells and beds at their houses in the areas, said Aftab Uddin, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Bagerhat.

The growers said they need to spend little money to buy vermicompost, whereas chemical fertilisers are costly.

When the cost of one kilogram of organic fertiliser is Tk 20 and at the same time chemical fertiliser is Tk 30 per kg, they said.

Faruk Bali of Tengrakhali village in Kachua upazila said using the natural earthworm fertiliser he has been getting more vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage and tomatoes for the last two years.

A resident of the village, Hedayet Bali, who has been commercially producing vermicompost for the last two years, said he bought 40,000 Thai earthworms at Tk 40,000 in 2017 and mixed them with cow dung. After a couple of weeks, it is ready for use as compost fertiliser after separation of the earthworms.

Currently he is producing the fertiliser in 12 concrete beds at his house. It needs 100 maunds of cow dung for 35 to 40 days. He sells per kg of earthworm fertiliser at Tk 20, said Hedayet.

As the vermicompost or earthworm fertiliser is gaining popularity day by day, the dependence on chemical fertiliser is reducing, said the DAE official, adding that the fertiliser is cheaper and increases the fertility of the land, and it is also environment friendly.