Bogor bullfrogs hopping onto plates in Jakarta

By Joko Sarwono

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Any prospective entrepreneur, at least one with any foresight, first weighs the opportunities of a business and the costs. Few businesses meet all the requirements, but breeding bullfrogs (Rana catesbiana) is one that does.

A bullfrog breeder from Bogor, Asmono Gondomartono, said that he decided to breed the animal because it was a cheap and easy-to-manage business that could generate a big profit. "The price of meat or chicken is never higher than the price of bullfrog's legs," he said.

"The price of a kilogram of bullfrog's legs ranges between Rp 25,000 and Rp 30,000, higher than that of meat or chicken (before the holiday season)."

The plus is the smaller capital needed to breed bullfrogs compared with livestock. "You can breed frogs as long as there is a pond with sufficient water," said Asmono, who owns a bullfrog- breeding farm covering a total area of 4,500 square meters.

Bullfrogs are also easy to feed. "They need only keong mas, a particular species of snail," he added.

In Indonesia, the snail is worthless and is usually thrown away, he said, and a kilogram of the snails costs only Rp 200.

Feed for cows, chicken or fish costs at least Rp 3,000 a kilogram. "So the feed for bullfrogs is less than one tenth of the price of the feed for cows, chicken or fish. Really economical, isn't it?" he said.

It is easier still because people come to him with the snails. "I have never had any trouble finding keong mas for my frogs. Sometimes I have to refuse an offer to buy keong mas because I still have more than enough for my frogs."

Asmono admitted he did not know exact number of bullfrogs in his breeding farm. "It is easy, though, to get the rough number of the frogs in the breeding farm."

For every 100 kg of frogs, consisting of between 300 and 700 of the animals, he needs three kilograms of snail's meat a day.

"Every month I buy 400 kg of live keong mas, a quantity equal to 250 kg of keong mas meat," he said.

"So you can calculate how many frogs there are in my breeding farm."

It does not include all of the tadpoles.

Bullfrogs have another advantage because they are fast breeders.

A female bullfrog will lay 5,000 to 20,000 eggs on one occasion and up to three times during her usually three-year-long lifespan, Asmono said.

Bullfrogs breed more often than other frog species, he added.

"An ordinary frog can produce only 500 to 1,000 eggs on one occasion."

At present Asmono sells bullfrogs in the form of tadpoles (two months to three months old), percil (young frogs staring to have legs, about 3.5 months old), frogs for consumption (about seven months old) and female frogs ready to breed (about 12 months to 14 months old). "Of course, the price considering each phase of the life of a frog is different," he said.

One tadpole sells for Rp 400, percil and frogs for consumption at Rp 25,000 per kg while female frogs ready to lay eggs are Rp 150,000 per pair. "Buyers themselves will decide which phase they need," he said.

He said there was always a demand for bullfrogs.

"During this economic crisis, the demand for female frogs ready to spawn is almost too high to cope with. Every month I sell from 100 to 200 pairs of them," he said.

To cope with the rising demand, Asmono has established cooperation with fellow bullfrog breeders in other areas.

He never worries that demand may one day outstrip supply.

"Well, if the quantity is that big, we can always export bullfrogs."

He said Singaporeans, South Koreans, Europeans and particularly Japanese are fond of eating frogs. "At present three exporters have contacted me to buy my frogs. Unfortunately I have to refuse the order because the domestic price is much better."

Many restaurants in Bogor serve frog's legs but they do not have bullfrogs. "In Bogor you cannot find dishes made of bullfrogs, but you can find them in Jakarta," he said.

According to the owner of Cahaya Baru restaurant, Jaya Pranata, his restaurant does not sell bullfrog dishes because the meat was too expensive.

A kilogram of bullfrogs costs Rp 25,000 while large-sized ordinary frogs cost only Rp 1,000 apiece.

Iskandar, owner of Dunia Baru restaurant, said the absence of bullfrogs from his menu was more a matter of taste.

"Three years ago I sold bullfrogs but my customers did not really like them. So we do not sell bullfrogs any more now."

Customers prefer ordinary frogs, he said. "Ordinary frogs can be compared to free-range chickens while bullfrogs are comparable to breeding chickens."

In the two restaurants, only frog's legs are sold. Frog's legs are turned into various kinds of dishes. Each of the restaurants sells about 200 frogs a week.

An expert on frogs from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Dr. Nawangsari Sugiri, said four ordinary or free-range frogs which were usually sold: farm frogs (Rana cancrivora), swamp frogs (Rana limmocharis), small stone frogs (Rana lolythi) and big stone frogs (Rana macrodon).

But she warned the four species were threatened by overplundering. "Unless this excessive exploitation is stopped and restocking is introduced, these frogs will soon become extinct."

She recommended establishing a frog-breeding center in Majalengka and Sukabumi. "The climate in these two places is suitable for the development of free-range frogs. Frogs can grow very large if the climate is right," she added.