"I used to make organic fertiliser by keeping our own cows' dung in a drum. Without my husband knowing, I would spread it on our cropland. When our plants looked greener and fresher than those in the neighbouring fields, everyone asked my husband what seed and fertiliser he used. He would tell them, 'I used the same as you.' And I would just smile. After several crops succeeded like this, I told my husband about my organic fertiliser, and he stared at me in astonishment."

That is how Shikha Rani Chakraborty, a national award-winning agricultural entrepreneur from Joynagar union in Satkhira's Kalaroa upazila, described her first success to Jagonews. She is the wife of Mohan Kumar Chakraborty, a Malaysia-based expatriate from Dhandia Thakur Para village.

Overcoming many hardships, this woman from a remote village is now a successful producer of vermicompost and earthworm compost. The farm she has built in her yard produces about 150 maunds of compost every month. Through the agriculture department she also trains local farmers and supplies all the materials needed to make the fertiliser. Several women workers are employed on her farm, and she is now seen by many as a model.

Shikha Rani Chakraborty told Jagonews that she first began making organic fertiliser after taking various training courses on good farming practice and safe crop production with the support of the non-government organisation Unnayan Prochesta and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

"Waterlogging and soil salinity are increasing in the south of the country," she said. "Because of this, more and more pesticide is being used to farm the land here. On one hand this ruins the soil, and on the other it affects health. I became interested in this work out of the wish to stop that."

"I started producing vermicompost and earthworm compost in 2009," she said. "At first nobody wanted to use it. For several years I then gave it to farmers free of charge. Because yields were good, farmers in the area have now understood that organic fertiliser works very well in place of chemical fertiliser. Demand has grown so much that the compost is now sold by the kilogram."

She is, however, unable to supply enough to meet the heavy demand for her earthworm compost and vermicompost, and has asked for support from government and non-government bodies.

She said she sells Trico-compost at Tk 25 a kg and earthworm compost at Tk 16 a kg, while Thai earthworms bred on her farm sell at Tk 2,000 a kg. If any farmer or woman entrepreneur wants to set up a farm, she provides training and supplies the materials at low cost.

After all farm expenses, she now makes a profit of Tk 30,000 to Tk 35,000 a month, she said. She also trains farmers as an instructor at various agricultural workshops.

She told Jagonews that her husband is currently working in Malaysia and her son works for a company in Russia, so she lives alone in the village. She has received several national awards and wants to continue her work for the benefit of farmers.

Kalaroa Upazila Agriculture Officer Enamul Haque told Jagonews that women as well as men contribute to agriculture in many ways, and Shikha Rani is one of them. "She is very hard-working. Besides playing an important role in safe food production, she is working to create entrepreneurs. The agriculture department gives her every kind of support," he said.

Agriculturist Saiful Islam, deputy director of the district DAE, told Jagonews that Shikha Rani Chakraborty works on safe crop production. For her important contribution to agriculture she received an award from the prime minister in 2018, and she has several achievements at upazila, district and divisional level. The Ministry of Agriculture has also given her AIP (agriculturally important person) recognition for her contribution to farming.

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