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)