Farmers can know when and how to apply fertilizers through online services

The Dhaka Times Desk Online Fertilizer Recommendation System or OFR software can be used to know the amount of fertilizer to be applied to any agricultural land. This software will guide the application of fertilizers considering the nutrient quality of the soil and the nutritional needs of the crops.

The software was developed by the Soil Research Institute under the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture. The software officially launched last Tuesday. The benefits of this software are directly available http://www.frs-bd.com And http://www.srdi.gov.bd from the website. Besides, farmers can avail the facility of this software from Union Information Service Center and Grameenphone Information Service Center. The software determines the quality and quantity of fertilizers at district, upazila and union level considering the nature of land and crop.

About the software, the chief scientific officer of the soil research center said, this software is the result of several years of research. A vast database has been created considering the agricultural land, crop and seasonal diversity of all regions of Bangladesh. Fertilizer application rates are determined based on expert advice with that database. He also said that this software will play a strong role in the development of agriculture in Bangladesh. Our main responsibility now is to bring this service to the doorstep of the farmer. Agricultural experts said that as a result of using the software, the yield will increase by 20 to 30 percent depending on the crop, immediate measures can be taken to prevent crop diseases, the cost of production will be reduced and the health of the soil will be good. Farmers will know what kind of fertilizer and quantity to apply for that crop just by describing the name of the crop, the address of the land and how much water is available in the land.

In 2009, service delivery through this software was started in 30 upazilas on an experimental basis. Later, the Department of Agricultural Extension launched the service delivery system through this software. It is joined by private mobile service providers Banglalink and Grameenphone. In 2011, the Prime Minister's Office joined the A2I process and expanded this service.