Expert advocates use of bio-fertilisers to boost organic farming

Mr Emeka Ogazi, Executive Director, Transparency and Economic Development Initiative (TEDI), an agriculture-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), says that improved use of bio-fertilisers can boost organic farming .

He stated this in an online presentation on “bio-fertiliser mitigation in methane, in animal and wetland”, at a forum organised by ‘Journalists Go Organic’ on Saturday.

He said that beneficial microbes played great roles in mitigating global warming, particularly methane emissions in the agricultural sector and fertility.

Replacing inorganic fertilisers with bio- fertilisers, he said, was more beneficial to farmers because they promote rapid yields, as well as play vital roles in revitalising the ecosystem, animal, plant, and human health.

“Bio-fertiliser is excellent in natural soil fertility, helps in climate change resilience and mitigation strategies, particularly methane emissions and carbon capture, for plant fertility doubling yields, preventing plant diseases and destructive chewing insects.

“The yield of crops that applied bio-fertiliser is double. Double yield and no chaff, particularly in rice, however, in maize, if you don’t harvest in time, it turns the maize kernel like, “he said.

Bio means life, bio-fertiliser is life microbes that contain millions of beneficial microbes promoting and encouraging rich microbiotas, such as live maggots, earthworms.

He said that Bio-fertiliser or Bio-urea contained organic turmeric, and ginger blocks hydrolysis.

“It encourages slow release of nitrogen to the plants, encourage colonies of earthworms that burrow holes into the soil, and block nutrients urea wash- off, hence giving the plants a rich dense rapid growth.

“Unlike chemical fertiliser, the chemical nutrients are washed off, causing algae and water hyacinth bloom, which causes disruption to marine life ecosystem.

“One limitation that farmers complain of, when spraying it, was that it takes a lot of time to spray, they want one time spray and also when compared to chemical fertiliser, they cost more.

“But the poor yields from chemical fertiliser and high cost of chemical fertiliser force them to look for bio-fertilisers, yet it’s new and sounds strange to farmers.

“Government tends to patronise imported bio-fertilisers that fail them and die-hard traders’ adulteration, like Super grow, which is a little fertiliser mixed with liquid soap to fake it.

“And then they call it organic bio-fertiliser for animals, plants and birds, but when used, it fails the farmers and farmers run away from the good natural bio products as a result.

“A good bio-fertiliser must have an awful smell, must be fermented and must be yellowish or ox blood in colour, must also have microbiota, such as maggots in the reactors. Any bio-fertiliser that smells nice and contains chemical perfume is fake and leads to crop failures, “he added