Letters to the editor
Preserving soil fertility
Sir,
Bangladesh presently has a population of over 160 million people. The balance between population and food supply in this overpopulated country could be maintained so far by increasing productivity in the limited land with its high natural fertility. But this natural fertility-- which is one of the biggest of national assets--is gradually coming under a threat.
The use of cheap and substandard fertilizers is causing great harm to soil fertility. About 40 per cent urea and non-urea fertilisers available in the market is considered as adulterated and contains highest level of heavy metal that can cause serious health hazards to the people and affect food production and soil fertility in the long run. Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) revealed this in a recent sample analysis of different kinds of fertilizers.
Reports frequently appear in newspapers about the smuggling into Bangladesh of low quality fertilisers which lead to short term higher yields but alarming degradation of the soil. Reportedly, the police some time ago seized 10,000 sacks that contained adulterated and contraband FMC fertlisers at Pabna . The FMC fertilisers were probably smuggled into the country from China. A ban on FMC fertliser remains in force for its harmful effects . But smuggled quantities of it are turned into dust and repacked and sold as Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) fertilisers which has a big demand . Besides, fake TSP fertlisers are also coming from India and getting marketed rather easily. Unregulated use of pesticides is also creating toxicity in the land and reducing its fertility on a large scale.
But land fertility is the most precious gift of nature that the ever increasing number of Bangladeshis will have to rely on for their food security. Therefore, it is imperative that the governments department of agricultural extension that trains farmers in safe farming practices should engage in extensive countrywide activities to discourage the use of low quality fertilisers. Farmers should be encouraged to practise rotation of crops, organic farming without pesticides or natural ways of pest control.
Traditional manuring of the land with decomposed biomass to produce high yields used to be considered as safe practice. Now information has come from a northern district, Nilphamari, that the leaves of a plant called dhancha can be such an excellent and safe natural manure. Dhancha cultivation and its application as manure needs to be popularised throughout the country.
Asheque Ali
Mymenshing Ahricultural University
