Border Control Police Turn To Compost Making

[george]

Border control police turn to compost making

UBON RATCHATHANI: -- Police based along Thailand's northeastern border may be more used to catching criminals than farming, but they have now engaged in a scheme to encourage local agriculturalists to use organic manure, rather than chemical fertilizer in a bid to strengthen the border economy.

This morning officers from the 227th border control police division, based in Khemarat district of Ubon Ratchathani Province, demonstrated their compost-making techniques to local farmers.

Costing only Bt120 to fertilize one rai of land, the organic compost is considerably cheaper than chemical fertilizer, which costs Bt480-520.

The officers also showed farmers how to produce organic liquid compost to act as plant food.

Explaining the scheme to reporters, Pol. Lt. Col. Chairat Uphithak said that the border control division hoped to help local farmers reduce their production costs.

But he also admitted that the effort was intended as a means of building up trust with local people, whom the police hoped would be more cooperative in providing information in future.

--TNA 2005-02-26