Bantul works to increase fertility with compost, not chemicals

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Bantul

The Bantul administration in Yogyakarta said it was encouraging farmers to use compost rather than chemical fertilizers but many farmers have said they prefer to use chemicals.

Chemical fertilizer use in Bantul today remains high but farmers depend on chemicals for instant results, Bantul farming agency head Edy Suharyanto said.

The compost program is aimed to restore the fertility of cultivated land and to realize their goal the local administration said it planned to buy and process local manure for compost.

"By providing compost from manure for farming, I hope we can stop the degradation of soil fertility caused by the uncontrolled use of chemical fertilizers," Edy said.

The agency said it had provided Rp 2.3 billion (US$250,000) to build a compost factory expected to be finished in November 2007.

The agency said it would begin buying manure from area farmers once the factory was operational.

Edy said they had allocated Rp 50 million for the purchase of manure and the administration had issued local regulations on collecting and processing manure.

"The administration prohibits residents from selling manure, including cow, buffalo or chicken manure, outside the region any more because it we will use it to compost," Edy said.

Manure from Bantul was currently sold outside the region, including to Wonosobo in Central Java.

Edy said the usage of chemical fertilizer in Bantul was uncontrolled and had damaged the soil.

Based on research by universities, Edy said soil fertility in Bantul was "only about 80 percent normal".

The administration said the damage to Bantul's soil could be reversed within four years using manure.

Sari is a 65-year-old resident of Srigading village in Bantul and she said, "I know that compost is better than chemical fertilizer, but I need to grow plants as soon as possible".

She said however she used compost produced from her five cows, "as a complement to chemical fertilizer".