Thrust on balanced use of chemical fertiliser

Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque has said the country needs to balance the use of nitrogen-enriched fertilisers by farmers to protect the environment from pollution, reports BSS.

"Most of the farmers are still ignorant about proper use of fertiliser on their crops. This ultimately leads to damage of soil fertility and negative impact on the environment," said the minister while addressing an International Nitrogen Management System South Asia Regional Demonstration Workshop at a city hotel.

Renowned scientists from neighboring India also attended the workshop.

Dr Razzaque said although nitrogen-enriched fertilisers like Urea and Ammonia increase productivity of the crops up to 30-35 per cent, excess use of these fertilisers reduce soil fertility.

Even the excess use of such fertiliser on the crops results in creating nitrogen pollution in the environment through mixing nitrogen with the air and also pollutes the water, he told the workshop.

The trees consume half of the nitrogen from the environment but the remaining amount pollutes the environment through mixing itself with soil, water and air, he stated.

"So, we should to give importance to balanced use of fertiliser and have to cut its use in phases," he suggested.

Director General of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr M Shahjahan Kabir was the special guest at the workshop, where Indian scientists and Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Agriculture University (BSMAU) Dr M Gias Uddin Mia also spoke.