Rashida Begum of Madaripur has become self-reliant by producing environment-friendly vermicompost (earthworm compost). Along with the compost she also sells the earthworms she breeds. Many women in Madaripur are being inspired by her, and demand for this organic fertiliser is growing day by day because it is more beneficial than chemical fertiliser.

Rashida Begum, 45, is the wife of Anowar Hossain Howlader of the Mohisherchar area in Panchkhola union of Madaripur Sadar upazila. She has four children. Her two daughters, Shirina Akter Shikha and Shiuli Akter, are married. Of the two sons, Harun-or-Rashid is a third-year honours student at Madaripur Government College, and the younger son, Raihan Howlader, is sitting his HSC examination this year from Syed Abul Hossain College in Khoajpur.

Her husband came back home after he could not sort out his papers in Saudi Arabia, and now supports the family by farming his own land. With the children's education costs rising and wanting to earn a little for the household, Rashida Begum first started a vegetable garden, growing bottle gourd, sweet pumpkin, data (amaranth stems), cucumber, okra and other vegetables on land next to the house.

When she needed fertiliser, she began producing vermicompost on her own initiative. She first took training from the Madaripur agriculture office. Then, with her husband's help, about three years ago she built a tin-roofed shed next to the house and set up six cement rings in it to produce vermicompost. As production has gone well, she has added three more, bringing the total to nine rings. She keeps two cows of her own and makes the compost from their dung.

The dung is first kept in a pit dug in the ground and then placed in the rings. In this way the vermicompost is ready in 25-30 days. Each ring produces one maund of compost. She sells a maund of compost for Tk 600 and a kilo of earthworms for Tk 1,500. When the Madaripur agriculture office needs organic fertiliser, it buys from Rashida Begum, and local people also buy her compost.

With demand growing day by day, Rashida now dreams of enlarging the shed and adding more rings to multiply production. Her husband also helps her in the work. Every month she earns Tk 20,000-25,000 from selling compost, earthworms, cow's milk and vegetables, and uses the money to support her children's education.

Woman entrepreneur Rashida Begum said: "I never thought I would earn money by selling fertiliser. I started this work after taking training from the agriculture office. They helped me a lot and still do. Vermicompost is made naturally, so the quality is very good. The Madaripur agriculture office buys the compost I produce, and so do local people. Demand for this fertiliser is very high. I will increase production in future so that I can meet everyone's demand and also earn a bigger income."

Her husband Anowar Hossain said: "My wife has been producing vermicompost for about three years. I help her. Organic fertiliser is very good for crops, so demand for it is very high now."

Rashida's neighbour Tahmina Akter said: "Seeing Rashida apa make vermicompost, we are also inspired. So I am thinking that instead of sitting at home, I will try to produce this fertiliser myself. That way I can become self-reliant and earn money too."

ABM Bazlur Rahman Khan, executive director of the Madaripur development organisation Deshgram, said: "This fertiliser can be produced with very little capital. It plays an important role in the country's agriculture sector, and it makes it possible to grow chemical-free vegetables. So it needs to be widely promoted for chemical-free farming."

Madaripur Sadar upazila sub-assistant agriculture officer Sabrina Akter said: "Rashida has been producing vermicompost for three years and is gradually increasing production. She has a vegetable garden. She produces the fertiliser herself, meets her own needs and also sells it. This has allowed her to earn and become self-reliant. Seeing her, more women are being encouraged into this work. We will give her every kind of support."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.