Chemical-free veg farming on the rise in Narsingdi

NARSINGDI, Feb 27 (BSS): Many of farmers in Narsingdi district are now showing their interest in the cultivation of chemical and pesticide free vegetables for economic prospects of the crop.
Sources with the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said farmers of Bangladesh regularly use chemical fertilizers and pesticides in vegetables fields and as a result people are being attacked with various diseases by eating the polluted vegetables.
During the last couple of years DAE Narsingdi took various necessary steps to produce chemical and pesticide free vegetables.
Apart from proving training to the farmers, the department is educating them about the bad effects of using pesticides and chemical fertilizers in vegetables fields.
DAE Deputy Director Latafat Hossain said Narsingdi is a leading vegetables producing region of the country which supplies 30 to 40 percent of its production to the capital city and other districts
Vegetables like brinjal, gourd, sweet gourd, teasel gourd, okra, cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, potato, basella alba and spinach are produced in plenty in the district.
The sources said over 0.1 million tonnes of vegetables are produced in the district both in the summer and winter season.
Because of the motivation and training, a large number of farmers are now inspired to cultivate more chemical free vegetables using vermin-compost and other organic fertilizers. The farmers are bringing more lands under vegetables cultivation.

The DAE official said application of organic fertilizers like composts, vermin composts and green manure can increase crop production.
Using cow dung and other organic fertilizers, women in the district are also producing poison free vegetables on their lands and homesteads.
Salina Jahan of Shoikarchar village under Shibpur upazila has achieved tremendous success in producing various chemical and pesticide free vegetables by using homemade vermin composts.
Another farmer Lovely Akther of Chinispur village in Narsingdi Sadar upazila also has achieved success in producing huge quantity of various chemical free vegetables by using homemade compost.
A good number of women in Shibpur, Balabo, Polash, Raipura and Monohardi upazilas are now engaged in producing chemical and pesticide free vegetables.
Now they are very happy selling vegetables at high prices as the demand of chemical free vegetables is increasing day by day.