Promote organic farming

16 Oct 2006, ACCORDING to a study on 'Sustainability Analysis of Ecological and Conventional Agriculture Systems in Bangladesh', ecological agriculture is relatively more sustainable and it can be an economically and environmentally viable alternative to the conventional agriculture system. Organic farming is a system which uses natural (organic) materials to nourish the soil which in turn produces vegetables, fruits and other crops. It does not use pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers and it is the system which had been used until the end of World War II, and which nature has used for millions of years. Inorganic or chemical product is harmful for health and environment as the WHO (World Health Organisation) estimated 5 lakh cases of pesticide poisoning annually and 20,640 deaths globally.

Organic farming can be developed in the country by creating awareness among the farmers as there is a huge possibility to produce and export vegetables produced through organic farming because of their worldwide demand. Overuse and inappropriate use of agrochemicals have led to contamination of water, loss of genetic diversity and deterioration of soil quality. Already 20-30 million hectares of land have been severely affected in the country, the study says. According to experts, organic farming is lagging behind as the availability of chemical agro-inputs like fertiliser, pesticides and market network of chemical farming have expanded massively, but the availability of organic inputs like natural mineral fertiliser or rock phosphate and bio-pesticides are comparatively rare in the market.

The Department of Agricultural Extension under a project has provided training to farmers experimentally in three places - Savar, Gazipur and Tangail - through organic farming and some 1000 farmers of those areas have been benefited due to the project that started in 2001 and ended in September 2006. Different organic vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower and tomato are being produced in these areas. Proshika, a non-governmental organisation, also received assistance under a World Bank donated project in between July 1999 and March 2003 on how to produce organic vegetables while at certification stage they could not move further. Now they are producing organic vegetables in Manikganj and in some other districts but for finding export markets, certification is the main problem and the private sector has to make progress for certification recognised by foreign consultants. Those who are involved feel that the government should do something in this regard for certification and it is heartening to note that one such project with World Bank assistance is now in process.

According to experts, the government has to put emphasis on eco-friendly cultivation methods like Integrated Pest Management or chemical-free cultivation system to enhance the organic farming. What is found is that there is a lack of initiative by government agencies in this regard. As one expert asserted, organic farming is the only future of the country, referring to a study by the World Bank that the production of high yielding varieties (HYV), crops has already been stagnant in the world. The government is expected to make its all-out efforts now for promoting organic farming in the country in view of the pressing need or demand of the day.

From: http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_31595.shtml