Kamal Rural Municipality provides liquid fertiliser, Maring Cooperative makes Trichoderma for farmers

By Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel/Jayaman Budha Magar,Damak/Rukum East, July 30:Damak’s Kamal Rural Municipality has started distributing liquid fertiliser to the farmers under the brand name “Kamal Jhol (liquid)”.

The liquid fertiliser is a new addition to a series of seven other fertilisers and manures produced under the brand name “Kamal”. 

“Kamal Jhol is a liquid fertiliser made from manure, urine and plants available at the local level by mixing them with waste decomposer,” said Prem Pokhrel, a technician at the agriculture section of the Kamal Rural Municipality. The liquid fertiliser is distributed to all the farmers at the local level from the rural municipality office and Ward No. 6 office.

Farmers informed that the Kamal Jhol was highly beneficial as it had necessary urea, creatinine, carbolic acid, amino acid, calcium and magnesium, among others. “The fertilisers and manures produced at the local level will reduce the burden of chemical fertilisers and import. Our plans and programmes prioritise agriculture,” said Hukum Singh Rai, chairman of Kamal Rural Municipality.

According to Rai, farmers can collect as much Kamal Jhol as they want from the premises of the two offices. The rural municipality also provides free soil testing for the farmers.

Meanwhile, Maring Multipurpose Cooperative in Ward No. 2 of Bhume Rural Municipality of Rukum East district has started the production of Trichoderma.

Trichoderma is a genus of fungi used to control soil-borne, leaf and panicle diseases of various plants. Thus, Trichoderma is an organic fertiliser.

Trichoderma production was prioritised by the cooperative as the Lumbini Province declared Rukum East as a district of organic production. Following the declaration, the use of chemical manure and fertilisers has been prohibited in the district.

The cooperative has started production by establishing a factory in Ward No. 3 of Bhume Rural Municipality. The factory was established with a support of Rs. 500,000 from Bhume Rural Municipality, Rs. 600,000 from the unified agriculture and livestock development office of Rukum East and Rs. 100,000 from the cooperative.

The industry was inaugurated by Rukum East District Coordination Committee’s deputy chief Mohan Bahadur KC on Wednesday.

“The branding and marketing of Trichoderma will be performed by the cooperative. It will be produced with the raw materials available in the district,” said Ramsur Budha Magar, chairman of the cooperative.

A team of technicians was trained by Basistha Acharya, an expert on agriculture-related diseases at the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), for the production of Trichoderma.

The production started after culturing Trichoderma brought from the Khumaltar-based research centre. 

According to the experts, Trichoderma species are effective bio-fungicides, enzymatically degrading other fungi, and producing anti-microbial compounds that kill pathogenic fungi.