Barito Kuala develops cattle waste organic fertilizer

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan 18/3 (AntaranewsKalsel) - Farmers in Barito Kuala successfully developed organic fertilizer from cow dung, thereby increasing agricultural productivity and improve their welfare.

Chairman of farmers group Tinombala Dandan Jaya Village Sodikun in Marabahan on Saturday said cattle waste was complained by residents before, because of it bad odor and very pungent, pollute the air in the area.

But now the waste is actually looked for, as surrounding communities capable of processing such waste to be "new money machine" to improve their welfare.

According to Sodikun, farmers used to rely on rice farming, which is planted once a year. When growing season was over, men must be out looking for additional work while waiting for the harvest season.

Seeing these conditions, Sodikun eventually found a way to develop cow breeding which then get the attention of livestock agency.

When it growing, a new problem appeared, the cow waste was very disturbing people around. Until farmers with the help of the Agency for Agricultural Technology Studies (BPTP) South Kalimantan finally found organic waste production systems.

Now the production of organic fertilizer of Dandan Jaya farmers being hunted by farmers in South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and other provinces, because in addition to increase rice production is also environmentally friendly.

According to Sodikun, the benefits of organic fertilizers, among others, do not use chemicals and accelerate growth, such as for seeding rice should have been 20 days, can be done only 17 days.

"Using organic fertilizer can increased the yields by up to 20 percent compared to using chemical fertilizer," he said