According to Lama, he has been earning Rs 100,000 annually after he started cultivating earthworms.[break]
He has so far sold Rs 100,000 worth of earthworms and Rs 600,000 worth of vermicompost produced with earthworms.
Following increasing demand, Lama has focused on selling vermicompost, the worm manure made from organic refuge, rather than on selling the worms themselves.
To meet growing demand for the manure, Lama plans to increase the production of the worm castings to up to five tons annually.
Because of the family´s poor financial situation, Lama´s two sons went abroad in search of greener pastures. But 55-year-old Lama has of late been earning more than his sons abroad.
After Lama started selling earthworms for Rs 1 per worm, as against Rs 2 in the market, large numbers of farmers flocked to his farm to buy the earthworms, which is used in managing organic waste
Lama said that he has stopped selling worms and is starting to focus on worm castings as the demand did not go down even after he sold 100,000 worms. “Now, I produce and sell only worm manure. It has been very hard to meet the demand for worm castings also,” he said.
He has sold worm manure worth Rs 600,000 in the last six months. One kilogram of worm casting sells at Rs 20.
Lama has also received orders for five tons of worm manure.
Lama stared earthworm cultivation with 100 worms and now has 500,000 with him for the production of worm castings.
He further informed that farmers from Banke to Darchula in the far west to Dharan in the east come to him for worm manure.
Lama´s farm, located near Rampur Agriculture Campus, has been like a laboratory for the students of agriculture science. Lama is planning to call his sons back from abroad and set then up in the earthworm business.
“Earthworms are very helpful in large waste disposal systems and in agriculture. It helps keep the surroundings neat and the high quality manure is really great for agriculture,” Lama said.
On Thursday, he was felicitated as an agriculture pioneer. LI-BIRD, a Pokhara-based NGO working in the areas of bio-diversity and organic farming, awarded him a cash prize of Rs 10,000.
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