A Jenidah correspondent's article, reporting on declining soil fertility Kotchandpur upazilla, was published in a local English daily on July 28. It is a matter of serious concern as it was reported that this could be due to the decline in the use of cow dung, a natural fertilizer which had been used for a long time. Now it is commonly used as household cooking fuel, as stated in the article. The report further presented some figures, mentioning that around 25000 tons of cow dung can be collected in the area, based on an estimated local cattle population (bullocks, cows, goats and rams) there. It further mentioned that the cultivated land of the upazilla is around 32500 hectors. It also mentioned that the use of chemical fertilizer progressively decreases land fertility every year! This indicates that logically, the consumption of chemical fertilizer should increase from year to year. It will be worth while if the upazilla agricultural authorities take up a detailed study of the effect or of the use of chemical fertilizer, co-relating it to the soil fertility, and comparing it with the usage of cow dung, ash and other natural fertilizers.
It appears that the matter is important, and should be taken up by the Department of Agriculture, along with related organizations to set out guidelines for the usage of various organic and inorganic fertilizers, to find out the best solution for sustaining soil fertility and decimate this information to all concerned farmers in order to sustain agricultural productivity, which is a matter of national importance!
SA Mansoor
Dhaka