Organic fertiliser legalisation on hold for 'wrong perception'

Jasim Khan The government issued licences to 48 new organic fertiliser companies during the last three years aiming to enhance crop production as well as increase land fertility. The introduction of the organic fertiliser will help reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers, official sources said. Farmers and agriculture scientists have long been demanding legalisation of the organic fertiliser in order to protect the quality of soil from excessive use of chemical fertilisers. The legalisation was put on hold due to wrong perception of and propaganda against the organic fertiliser. When asked, Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) Bakhtiyar Hossain said, "Many organic materials serve as both fertilisers and soil conditioners --- they feed both soils and plants. This is one of the most important differences between a chemical approach and an organic approach towards soil care and fertilising." "Soluble chemical fertilisers contain mineral salts, which plant roots can absorb quickly. However, these salts do not provide a food source for soil micro-organisms and earthworms, and even repel earthworms because they acidify the soil," Bakhtiyar Hossain said. Agriculture Ministry sources said the ministry approved those licences forwarded by the Agriculture Extension Department (AED). When asked, Tofazzal Hossain, administrative officer, said the ministry last week had issued licences to 13 new companies. The Agriculture Ministry said the organic fertiliser companies have come through many processes including soil trial, and after meeting 15 requirements set by the AED. About 100 companies have applied for licences, but many could not come out successful as they failed to fulfil the requirements. Ariful Haque, chief executive officer of a newly licenced organic fertiliser company, said licencing of these companies had been stopped as the Fertiliser Act 2006 did not clarify the matter. "A lobby of chemical fertilisers has always been against organic fertilisers, although the organic fertiliser is quite cheap and soil-friendly and renewable. They have misinterpreted the fertiliser to the stakeholders and stood in the way of the legalisation of these companies for long," Ariful Haque said. "Since the people are becoming aware, farmers are opting for more and more organic fertilisers instead of the chemical ones," he said. When asked, chairman of Northern Agro Services Ltd Md. Faridul Islam said the increasing population and its pressure for higher food production through the cultivation of high-yield crop varieties has resulted in a greater demand for fertiliser use, especially that of nitrogen. "Organic matter (OM) in soil is considered to be its life blood. Usually, in a fertile and productive soil, the OM contents should be 3 per cent - 5 per cent, whereas in the soil of our country, the OM content varies from 0.75 per cent to 1.5 per cent. In some cases, the OM content is found to be even less," Faridul Islam said.