Experts voiced concern over the excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer at an international workshop on reactive nitrogen management held at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) in Gazipur on Wednesday.
The workshop was held as part of the research and stakeholders' engagement activities of the South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH).
A wide range of stakeholders, farmers, researchers, academicians, postgraduate students, government officials, civil society members attended the workshop where scientists from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK presented their research activities.
SANH is a research project of eight South Asian countries coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), funded by UK Research and Innovation, through the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF).
SANH Bangladesh Lead Prof Dr Md Mizanur Rahman gave the welcome speech.
Prof Dr Mark Sutton, the hub director, virtually joined the event from the UK and delivered his speech on nitrogen challenges and solutions across the globe.
Habibun Nahar, deputy minister at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was present at the event as the chief guest.
She said excessive and ineffective use of nitrogen fertilizers raises the cost of production and brings manifold threats to the environment.
She further emphasized the optimization of nitrogen fertilizer application for sustainable crop production and environmental protection.
Special guest at the event, Treasurer of BSMRAU Tofayel Ahamed stated that unexploited reactive nitrogen degrades soil health, augments environmental menace, and increases greenhouse gas emission that contributes towards global warming and climate change.
Prof Dr Md Giashuddin Miah, vice chancellor of BSMRAU, chaired the workshop.