Vermicompost production makes village women self-reliant in Manikganj

MANIKGANJ, July 04 (BSS): Marginal women of some villages of the district have quietly gained popularity and make them self-reliant by producing and marketing of the vermicompost, a type of compost that is produced using Kencho (earthworms).

Golaidanga is one the villages where a large number of poor and marginal women have overcome their poverty by making vermicompost successfully since last few years, concerned sources said here today.

Monowara Begum, 48, one of them who was totally dependent on her husband even to buy a single household item as she had not a single money in her hand. Sometimes she did not get any help from her husband Faruque Hossain. It gave her much pain. Now Monowara Begum is self -reliant.

Not only Monowara Begum but a group of poor women of the same village have been producing and selling them to the cultivators of the same village and other neighbouring villages and earning a good amount of money regularly as their products have a good demand to the other cultivators.

They said before 10 years of making an organization they started to produce vermicompost commercially. Some of them are now self reliant, Monwara added.

Describing the starting of their production idea of vermicompost, Monowara Begum said in 2014 she started to make this kind of compost fertilizer at a corner of their yard setting a round pot (Chari). Then they had two cows and she collected cow dung from their own cows and some pieces of banana tree and water hyacinth and 500 grams of earthworm (Kecho) first she started to produce vermicompost fertilizer. Investing only Taka 300, after 40 days she produced two maunds of vermicompost fertilizer and sold it to the cultivators at Taka 1500. Now per kilogram vermicompost fertilizer is being sold at a cost of Tk 15 to 18 in the markets, Monowara Begum said, adding that now her monthly income is Taka 4000 to 5000.

Monowara said one evening a group of neighbouring women including Selina Khatun, 50 was gossiping at her yard. By the sides of their houses they cultivated vegetables using cow dung and some chemical fertilizers. At one stage they understood vermicompost is better than only using cow dung and chemical fertilizers and it is cheap also. They formed a joint group named 'Kaliganga Krishok-Krishani Organization'. Selina Khatun was selected as the President and Monwara Begum was the secretary. Forty women and 15 male cultivators joined that group. This group was introduced with an NGO named BARCIK (Bangladesh Research Center for Indigenous Knowledge) that works on chemical free vegetable and fruits production. The members of the organization took training from the NGO.

Selina Khatun said after each of the three months the family breed is increased and they need not buy the earthworm. Now most of the members of their society are self reliant.