FARMERS in Mandalay Division have increased their reliance on bio-organic fertiliser as they have become more aware of the advantages of its use, said officials from the agricultural sector.

Mandalay Division has about one million paddy-sown acres, and the amount of this acreage that is grown using bio-organic fertiliser (also called bio-fertiliser) has increased significantly in the past three years, said U Aung Kyin, the divisional manager of the Mandalay Division office of Myanma Agriculture Services (MAS).

Three years ago in Mandalay Division, bio-fertiliser was used on about 5000 acres, but now there are about 30,000 acres to which it is applied, he said.
It has also been utilised this year on 2000 acres in Mandalay Division which are put under used to onion, he said.

“Seventy-five per cent of farmers are now aware of the advantages of using bio-fertiliser,” U Aung Kyin said.

Bio-fertiliser consists of a mixture of living microbes that help plants grow by increasing the fertility of soils and balancing nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and sodium.

Industry sources said that in the Mandalay market, most of the microbes are made up of decomposed hyacinth, burnt paddy husk and other organic materials.

Among the bio-fertiliser brands available in Mandalay are Shwe Myit Tar and Shwe Myay Si, which are manufactured by the private sector; and Ziwa Super, Rhizobia and Effective Microbe, which are produced by MAS.

All of these brands have been selling well year after year, industry sources said.

“Among the seven districts of Mandalay Division, we have encouraged more use of bio-fertiliser in Meiktila and Yamethinn, which have the largest paddy-growing areas,” said U Chit Htwe, the township manager of the MAS office in Meiktila District’s Wam Twin township.

He said farmers in the area also use bio-fertiliser to grow chick peas in the winter and sesame in the summer. “Between 2003 and 2005 utilisation of bio-fertiliser increased by more than 10 per cent in the district, as it has proven its ability to result in high yields of kitchen crops like chilis, beans and onions.”

Agricultural supervisors in the division have encouraged the use of bio-fertiliser by organising regular presentations, educational programs and discussions for farmers, he said.

More and more farmers have accepted the use of bio-fertiliser as they have come to realise that they can save money without spoiling the soil, said U Thein Lin Kyaw, a director of Ayer Shwe Wah Co., Ltd, which sells Shwe Myit Tar brand bio-fertiliser. The company has sold four varieties of the fertiliser for paddy and other crops since 2001.

“On average, bio-fertiliser cost less than half of what chemical fertiliser costs,” U Thein Lin Kyaw said.

“If we apply chemical fertiliser, it will cost about K 32,000 for an acre of paddy. If we use bio-fertiliser, it will cost about K9000,” said U Nay Win, the distribution representative of the Shwe Myit Tar brand in Mandalay Division.

However, U Nay Win said they ask farmers to mix bio-fertiliser with Pearl-brand chemical fertiliser when they use it for the first time, as farmers in Myanmar hold a deep-seated belief that only chemical fertiliser is effective and can result in a high yield.

“In the initial stages of use, bio-fertiliser can result in low yields because it does not take effect as quickly as chemical varieties, so we ask farmers to mix the two so they do not lose confidence in bio-organic brands,” he said.

According to industry experts, bio-fertiliser takes at least two years to result in high yields, but the long-term use of chemical fertiliser will gradually damage the soil.

The owners of Ayer Shwe Wah believe that the demand for bio-fertiliser will continue to increase, so they plan in the current fiscal year to produce enough to cover 150,000 acres, an increase in production of 50 per cent from 2004-2005.

“We so far have sold enough for more than 60,000 acres,” said U Thein Lin Kyaw. Ayer Shwe Wah aims to boost production even further in 2006-2007 to 200,000 acres, with the eventual goal of producing enough bio-fertiliser to cover five million acres, he said.

There are currently four chemical fertiliser plants in Myanmar that produce a total of about 200,000 tonnes of fertiliser a year. According to Customs Department, the private sector imported about 250,000 tonnes of fertiliser during the 2002-2003 financial year.

An agricultural expert said Myanmar needs at least 1.6 million tonnes a year to fulfill its needs.

Since bio-fertiliser can be locally produced using domestic raw materials, increased use will soften the demand for imported chemical fertiliser, he said.

U Kyin Lin, the commissioner of the Mandalay Division General Administrative Department, said Myanmar farmers need to be more aware of bio-fertiliser because international markets demand products grown using organic methods.