Earthworms (earthworms) play an important role in soil. An increase in the number of earthworms is an indicator of food security. The presence of earthworms in the fields is also an indicator of crop safety. In oriental medicine, earthworms are a precious medicine that has been used for thousands of years.
This item is extremely expensive on the market. Accordingly, the use of electricity to kill earthworms in the wild is taking place widely, seriously affecting the soil environment and crops. This action makes gardeners feel insecure, and authorities are looking for a way to handle it.
In our country, earthworms are also a type of worm with many good uses. However, instead of exploiting them in the wild, farmers in many localities have created their own "kingdoms of millions of worms". Thanks to that, they can earn billions of dong each year.
Nearly 20 years ago, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien in Phu Cuong commune (Soc Son, Hanoi) experimented with raising earthworms to feed pigs and chickens. In a farm of about 1,000 square meters, she created a kingdom of millions of earthworms with neat square cages.
Lifting the tarpaulin cut from old bags, Ms. Lien said that underneath the old sacks, cow dung was collected by workers and put in here to feed the worms. The worms can be harvested after about a month.
Every day, Ms. Lien catches tens of thousands of earthworms and grinds them into food for pigs and chickens. Thanks to that, her livestock has good resistance, produces delicious meat, and sells for sky-high prices. In 2015, customers lined up to buy pigs fed with earthworms at a price of 10 million VND/pig, twice the market price.
In recent years, Ms. Lien’s earthworm kingdom has expanded. Harvested worms are processed in many forms such as: dried, worm juice, worm manure, dried earthworm powder, frozen earthworms, etc. In particular, earthworms are also very effective food and medicine.
Earthworm products bring Ms. Lien a revenue of about 6 billion VND a year.
In Than Cuu Nghia commune (Chau Thanh, Tien Giang), after several years of working and gaining experience, Mr. Nguyen Cong Vinh has owned more than 100 hectares (including farms linked with local people) raising earthworms across the Western provinces, opening a company with assets worth more than 40 billion VND.
On average, each month, Vinh's farm sells about 1,700-1,800 tons of vermicompost at a price of 4-5 million VND/ton; 5-6 tons of meat worms at a price of 50,000-60,000 VND/kg. In addition, he also sells worm seeds and many other exclusive products made from vermicompost. After deducting all expenses, each month Vinh earns a profit of 500-600 million VND.
Currently, earthworm farming models are becoming more and more popular in our country. Accordingly, small-scale farming can earn hundreds of millions each year, many large models earn billions, even several billion VND each year.
Earthworms and earthworm manure are both used in agriculture, bring high value and are becoming a trend in circular agriculture.
Looking at the model of raising earthworms that brings high economic value and solves waste in livestock farming, agricultural experts believe that earthworms can also be raised like earthworms.
Talking to PV.VietNamNet , expert Nguyen Lan Hung said that earthworms eat animal manure, while earthworms eat organic humus. Although their characteristics are different, he affirmed that earthworms can still be raised.
"But raising earthworms or any other animal requires understanding their living characteristics," Mr. Hung said, noting that with earthworms, it is necessary to pay attention to creating a humid living environment, what they eat and how they reproduce. If we can solve these three problems, we can successfully raise earthworms.
Previously, speaking with PV.VietNamNet, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Cuong, Director of the Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) also suggested that if the market has high demand, we can completely research and open up the direction of commercial earthworm farming.
According to him, earthworms are native creatures, not rare, and can be cultivated on a large scale. In China, there are also models of earthworm farming that bring high income.
Currently, our country does not have any model for raising earthworms, but many models have successfully raised earthworms to serve consumer needs. Therefore, according to him, raising earthworms is not too difficult. However, it is necessary to research carefully to have a raising process so that worms reproduce quickly, have high productivity, and ensure income for people.
Successful breeding will provide a steady supply of earthworms to the market, and the soil environment will be protected. More importantly, the current situation of destroying earthworms in the wild by using electricity will also gradually decrease, Mr. Cuong commented.
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