Three-quarters of Bangladesh farmland is losing fertility. Experts blame excessive chemical fertilizer use.

About 75% of Bangladesh’s agricultural land is losing fertility as excessive use of chemical fertilizers damages soil health, according to the Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI).

A recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report said chemical fertilizer use rose from 3.8 million metric tons in fiscal 2004-05 to 6.7 million metric tons in 2024-25, an increase of about 75%.

Farmer Delwar Jahan of Manikganj instead uses organic and green manure.

“If you walk barefoot on my land, and then walk barefoot on land treated with chemical fertilizers, you will immediately feel the difference between the two types of soil,” Jahan said to Channel 24.

SRDI says healthy soil should contain at least 2.5% organic matter, but levels have fallen below 1.5%.

Experts called for more soil testing, precise fertilizer management, and wider use of organic and green manure.