Farming with compost pays off

Atul Chandra Roy of Durakuti village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila has earned the reputation of an ‘ideal vegetable farmer’ in the area, thanks to his use of organic method for cultiavtion.

“I started commercial cultivation of bottle gourd on three bighas of land eight years ago. I also grow other vegetables on seven bighas round the year and get good yield as I know the technique,” said the 38-year-old farmer.

Bottle gourd is planted in early August and farmers get yield for five months from mid-October to mid-March.

During the first time cultivation of bottle gourd, a farmer needs to spend around Tk 25 thousand for one bigha of land to buy bamboo poles, screws, ropes, iron sheets and other accessories. As the items can be used for the next five to seven years, the production cost decreases the next time.

Depending on the time of harvest and size, a bottle gourd is sold for Tk 10 to Tk 100.

“Usually 3,000 to 4,000 bottle gourds are produced on a bigha of land and the profit from the sale ranges from Tk 30,000 to Tk 70,000. My yearly earning from cultivating the vegetable on three bighas stands around Tk 2 lakh as I use better methods,” said Atul.

“I always use compost fertilisers in my bottle gourd field as it helps to keep the trees productive for longer period,” he said adding that he uses chemical pesticides only on rare occasions.

Ganesh Chandra Roy, a farmer at the same village, said he has started commercial farming of bottle gourd, following suggestions and help from Atul Chandra.

Quite a few other farmers in the area are also getting benefits by following Atul’s methods.

“Use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides virtually decreases the productivity of bottle gourd trees. This year I observed Atul’s farming technique and hope to apply it in my field the next season,” said Nur Islam, a farmer of the same village.

Compost fertiliser is much better than chemical ones for commercial farming of bottle gourd, said Bidhubhushon Roy, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat.

“Many farmers are getting benefit from farming bottle gourd through using the method. Our officials are visiting Atul Chandra’s field to observe his method and share it with other farmers,” he said.