Several eye on worm breeding

Several eye on worm breeding

JAKARTA (JP): An industrial district official and some
operators of golf courses here are setting their eyes on breeding
earthworms to handle their garbage disposal problems, a worm-
breeding expert said on Monday.

More than 50 people participated in a day-long worm-breeding
workshop in Jakarta, held by the Pondok Indah Golf Course. The
participants came from a number of industrial districts and golf
courses in and around the capital.

"The organic waste from factories and restaurants at golf
courses can be used as worm-breeding mediums that help solve
the disposal problem," Hartono said, noting that worm-breeding
has proven to be a good business that can create many job
opportunities.

The Pondok Indah Golf Course, which started using its waste
for worm breeding in April, has employed four men to look after
the breeding that can supply its fertilizer needs.

Worm-breeding culture, which lately has become fashionable
among Jakarta's poorer middle classes, simply requires garbage
for the earthworms to feed on. The market price of a kilogram of
worms is Rp 150,000 (US$20).

Worms can be used as cattle feed and as raw materials for
medicine and cosmetics. The mixture of organic waste the worms
eat can be used as compost to replace chemical fertilizers,
Hartono said.

Noting that the worm industry in the country shows promising
signs for the next two or three years, he said: "Hopefully we can
produce 10 tons of worms each year." (04)