Emdadul Haque of Dohar upazila in Dhaka spent 12 years in Singapore. Back home, he started a business with his savings but it failed, his savings ran out and he had to live on loans. Then one day he learned about vermicompost (earthworm organic fertiliser), and that compost changed his life.

Emdadul's home is in the Nikra Bottola area of Banaghata village in the upazila. He went abroad in the 1990s to earn a living. On his return he used his savings to start a business importing foreign parts, but it did not improve his situation. Emdadul said that even when the business lost money he kept investing with fresh zeal, and over nine years he lost a great deal. Then came hard times.

One day he came to know about earthworm compost. To find out what it was, he went to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) in Dhaka, where he met an agriculturist. What followed is a story of recovery. At the start of 2014, after basic training, Emdadul began producing vermicompost in two chari (clay pots) holding 10 kg each. He put 14 kg of cow dung, 4 kg of straw and 200 grams of earthworms into the two pots and got 12 kg of compost in total.

At first he used the compost in his banana plantation in place of chemical fertiliser. Gradually it became popular with farmers and he increased production. He now produces compost in three cement tanks, each holding 700 kg. The compost is made from 1,500 kg of cow dung, 400 kg of chopped banana plants and 200 kg of straw, with 6 kg of worms added; there are now more than 12 kg of worms in the tanks. The compost takes a month and a half to be ready.

Emdadul has a small shop at the Nikra Bottola crossroads where he sells pesticides and vermicompost. Village farmers who have benefited from the compost buy it from his shop, and many collect it from his house. Nearly every farmer in the village has turned to it to some degree. "Producing this compost doesn't cost much, and it is far more environmentally friendly. This compost has given me hope," Emdadul Haque said.

Emdadul owns a bigha and a half of land where he grows Amritsagar bananas from Narsingdi. The organic compost improves the quality of the bananas and gives much higher yields. He also has a small papaya orchard where he uses the same compost.

Mujahar Hossain, a farmer in Nikra village, said: "I've been using earthworm compost when growing rice on my bigha and a half. I got good results with it. From now on I'll put only this compost on my land."

Upazila agriculture officer Md Ariful Islam said: "Emdadul has set an example in vermicompost production in the upazila, and the compost has become popular among farmers. We help anyone who asks the agriculture office for help, and we also supply earthworms to those who need them."

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.