Is Earthworm Farming Profitable? 2017 Market Prospect Analysis
China's earthworm farming industry has developed rapidly in recent years. At present, more than 600 counties and over 50,000 units and farming households across the country have taken up earthworm farming. So is earthworm farming profitable now? What conditions are needed to improve the economic benefits of earthworm farming? Details of the analysis are as follows:
With the continuous development of China's farming industry, earthworm farming is of great use to agricultural development:
1. Earthworms themselves are a high-quality, low-cost protein feed, and vermicompost is also a rare feed additive; using animal manure and straw to farm earthworms not only enriches earthworm farming materials, but is also a relatively effective means of adding value and the most environmentally friendly measure.
2. Earthworms have great potential in agriculture. Earthworms move ceaselessly underground day and night, making the soil loose and soft, so that water and air can seep into the soil in greater amounts, which is beneficial to crop growth.
3. Earthworm farming requires little investment and yields quick results, and raw materials are abundant. Urban waste contains large amounts of organic matter such as melon rinds, fruit shells and vegetable leaves, roots and so on, all of which are good food for earthworms.
Earthworms have so many uses; what conditions are needed to improve the economic benefits of earthworm farming:
1. Expand the farming scale. Earthworm farming must reach a certain scale, at minimum at least 300 sq m.
2. Reintroduce superior earthworm breeds. The best farming breeds are Daping No. 2, Beixing No. 2 and the cross of Daping No. 2 with Beixing Daping No. 3. Earthworms should be strictly graded for rearing and purified and rejuvenated to prevent inbreeding. Provide earthworms with sufficient feed and harvest them in a timely manner.
3. Make full use of vermicompost. Vermicompost contains extremely high levels of nutrients absorbable by animals, and some feed mills that understand the value of vermicompost also buy it, generally at a purchase price of around 300 yuan per ton. Vermicompost is also a high-quality organic fertilizer; it not only has high fertilizer efficiency but also a deodorizing function. Horticultural farms, flower companies and landscaping companies in cities all need it in large quantities, and each ton of vermicompost can sell for at least 200 yuan or more.
4. If earthworms are used to raise special aquatic products with high economic value oneself, and vermicompost is used to replace feed, then the economic benefits will be even more considerable.
Related case:
In 2017, on the road to wealth, raising earthworms under trees earned 300,000 yuan per mu. Zheng Qingchen of Sheng Village, Matou Town, Tancheng County, raised earthworms under trees. Raising earthworms under trees can improve the hardened soil environment of the woodland. The cow dung after being eaten by earthworms also provides trees with rich organic fertilizer, which is more conducive to the growth of the trees, forming a three-dimensional complementary model of tree planting and earthworm farming. One mu of land can produce about 1 ton of earthworms per year, with a net profit of 10,000 yuan, and the vermicompost produced can also sell for 600-800 yuan per ton. Throughout the entire cycle, energy is utilized layer by layer, which not only increases farmers' income but also makes use of idle resources, providing favorable conditions for gradually improving the surrounding environment.