Over two-third of the country’s agricultural lands do not have organic elements essential for maintaining their fertility, a report has revealed.
The study shows that chemical overdoses and over-exploitation of lands through year-round farming are the reasons behind the deficiency of necessary organic compounds in the farmlands.
According to a just published finding of the government's Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) report, almost 62 per cent of the country's arable lands are critical state having organic matters as low as below 1.74 per cent. And over 21 per cent of lands possess organic elements in between 1.74 to 3.5 per cent whereas; ideally there should be five per cent of organic matters in soil.
According to SRDI, fertile lands contain up to 45 per cent minerals, 25 per cent each of water and air, and the remaining five per cent organic elements.
But 61.6 per cent of the 8.8 million hectares of farm lands in the country is currently witnessing a lack of organic substance due to the effects of excessive applications of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, not giving the land enough time to rest and factors relating to global warming and climatic changes.
Immediate-past SRDI Director Md Delwar Hossain Mollah, who oversaw the report -Bangladesh's Soil and Organic Agriculture - noted that over-exploitation of soil for augmenting per unit crop production causing the soil to lose its fertility in the long run.
He told UNB, it's understandable that in pursuit of feeding growing population farmers must grow three to four crops from same land a year but, at the same time they must be mindful about proper soil management.
He added that as the soil's fertility is reliant on temperature, global warming has bearings on the soil in the form of losing capacity of natural nutrition intake. But as food production must not be stopped, farmers are inclined to apply excessive chemicals in the forms of fertilisers and pesticides.
Researchers noted that previousely farmers used to apply two to three types of chemical input but now many farmers event use 8 to 9 types of fertilizers, pesticides in the drive of higher productivity and crop protection.
Sources at the agriculture ministry said that the need to meet the rising food demands is fueling the farmers use more chemicals and overmining soil's natural nutrients, reports UNB.
The SRDI report also found out that many farmers tend to grow same crop over and over again on same land thereby letting their farmlands losing essential organic elements fast. Prof. Dr Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, who teaches soil science at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, suggested for crop-rotation - for instance growing rice followed by lentils, mustards etc. - which help soil remains rich in organic contents.
"We only know how to take from the soil, but not to give back, let alone giving it rest," he repented.
SRDI statistics show - 3. 7 million hectares of the country's land lack phosphorus, 2.72 million hectares lack potassium, and three lakh hectares lack calcium, magnesium etc.
Additional Director (Cash Crops) at the Department of Agricultural Extension and agriculturist Dr Md Zahangir Alom acknowledged the dip in organic substance in the soil. He told UNB that the government needs to carry out the recommendations given in the research reports without taking further time in contemplating the next initiatives.
Noted agricultural scientist Prof Zahurul Karim told UNB that "if we keep relying on chemical fertilizers, then the condition of the soil will deteriorate quickly." He advised taking good care of the soil and using fertilizers with restrain to keep the health of the soil in check.