COIMBATORE: Farmers have urged the Union government to provide humic acid as an alternative to compost manure for agricultural purposes as there is a shortage and unavailability of compost manure when they need it.
K Balakrishnan, farmers’ wing secretary of Athikadavu - Kausika Development Committee, said, “Due to urbanisation and lack of manpower, animal husbandry has decreased. Due to this, the availability of composted manure has become very rare. Hence farmers have been using chemical fertilizers and due to this, microorganisms in the soil are coming down. As a result, no matter how much chemical fertilizers are used, the expected yield is not obtained. Instead, the soil becomes barren.”
He added, “Soil fertility is improved only by the number of microorganisms in the soil. These microbes require a lot of carbon for their activity or food and this carbon is available only through composted manure. Hence, adding humic acid can sustain some carbon to the soil when composted manures are not available.”
“Humic acid is available in the market in several grades at various prices. Due to this farmers are not able to ensure their quality and they hesitate to use them. To overcome this, as humic acid is found in excess in the Neyveli coal mine in Tamil Nadu, it should be distributed to farmers at low cost and quality through central government agencies like Neyveli Lignite Coal Company or the state government’s agricultural department. This will increase the yield for farmers and the chemical fertilizers subsidy cost for the central government will also come down,” he further said.