Bhaktapur, May 22:

Owing to lack of awareness, farmers of Bhaktapur are using high amount of chemical fertilizers, thus, causing the gradual degradation of the fertility of land, an expert said today.

Badri Poudel, horticulture development officer at the District Agriculture Development Office, Bhaktapur, said: “Professional farmers in Thimi and Kavre are using a high amount of chemical fertilizer to raise productivity for economic gains.”

Farmers use large amount of Urea, Di-Ammonium Phosphate and Murate of Potash because they contain high concentration of Nitrogen, which helps vegetables grow faster. “However, in the long run, it degrades soil fertility by increasing acidity in the land due to the high ratio of nitrogen in the chemical fertilizer.”

The farmers should use compost along with chemical fertilizer to minimise the effects of chemicals. He said, “The farmers could preserve the fertility of the land by using compost to the amount as recommended by the experts.”

He said farmers should use 30 tonnes of compost in one hectare land.

Compost contains only 1 to 4 per cent of Nitrogen, which is not sufficient for the plants and therefore, they should use chemical fertilizer, he said.

He said organic farming could be a good option to prevent the land hazard. “But because products from organic farming will be expensive, the government should either manage a separate market or provide subsidies,” he said.