From 3 trial beds to 300, and 2.5 lakh taka a cycle

This retired public health engineering employee from Shibpur union in Tala, Satkhira, began making earthworm compost in 2014 with three trial beds and 20,000 taka of his own, plus a 30,000-taka loan from a development organisation. Neighbours mocked him with a nickname meaning ‘the earthworm man’. He now runs 300 beds over four bighas; a batch takes 40 days, and one sack of cow dung yields 15 kg of vermicompost. Every six weeks brings about 20 tonnes, selling at 15,000 taka a tonne for vermicompost and 10,000 for tricho-compost, which is roughly 2.5 lakh taka a cycle and more than 50,000 taka of profit after costs. Five people now work for him, and the same people who laughed come to learn the method. He says banks will not lend against a vermicompost farm, and that is what is holding his expansion back.