Environment-friendly vermi compost fertilizer manufacturing of Barbakpur village under Jhikargacha upazila of Jashore district has responded to create employment of the women. Many women in the area are now entrepreneurs following Nasrin Sultana, a student who has provided money for her family by making organic fertilizer at home.
Nasreen is now a symbol of women employment in the area. Apart from making vermi-compost fertilizer, she is working on women empowerment, child marriage, prevention of dowry, women trafficking and various problems of women in the area. Female entrepreneur Nasreen Sultana is the daughter of Lutfar Rahman of Barbakpur village in Jhikargacha.
She is general secretary of upazila women's social association and a member of the Jagarani Sangsad of Jhikargacha.
Nasreen completed her honours from Jhikargacha Mahila College under National University and completing postgraduate studies in social science.She obtained diploma in agriculture.
Her organic fertilizer factory produces at least 30 mounds of vermi-compost fertilizer every month.
At the beginning of 2016, she bought 100 grams of earthworms and started making vermi-compost fertilizer, but currently the income from this factory is 10-12 thousand taka per month.
Seeing this organic fertilizer factory of Nasreen Sultana, not only in Barbakpur but also in the surrounding villages, housewives and youths have built earthworm compost fertilizer factories.
Majeda Begum of Barbakpur village said, I have become self-reliant to build an organic fertilizer factory with training on earthworm compost from Nasreen. Now we use this fertilizer in our own land and sell the surplus to meet other expenses of the family.
Barbakpur housewives Bithi Begum, Sakina Khatun and Selina Begum of Padmapukur village said the same thing.
Ayub Hossain, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer of Jhikargacha said, Nasreen has become known as a symbol of women entrepreneur in the area. Many women of Barbakpur village have now set up an organic fertilizer factory after seeing the production of organic fertilizer with earthworms. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to agriculture, entrepreneur Nasrin Sultana also received the Bangabandhu Krishi Award in 2022.
Jhikargacha upazila women's affairs officer Anita Mallik said, Nasreen Sultana won the upazila level Joyeta award in 2021 in the independent category.
She is an example of women and youth society in the upazila.
Jhikargacha upazila youth development officer Arab Ali told that Nasreen Sultana as an entrepreneur is making a special contribution to vegetable cultivation by making vermi compost fertilizer (earthworm fertilizer) and on the other hand, the women and youth of the area are getting motivated to become entrepreneurs after seeing her success.