Biohumus, also known as vermicompost, is a natural fertilizer that is several times more effective than organic analogues. When using it, the yield increases by 25-50%.
It is noteworthy that there is no need to apply this fertilizer annually, since it perfectly saturates the earth with nutrients. It is enough to carry out this procedure once every three to four years. Such advantages lead to the fact that the demand for vermicompost is constantly increasing. In this regard, its production can become a profitable and promising business idea. We’ll talk about how to organize such a business in our article.
Biohumus Production: Business Plan
Vermicompost is a waste product of earthworms or California worms, which are placed in a nutrient medium, where optimal conditions are created for their reproduction. The organization of such a business can be divided into four main stages:
- Preparatory stage. At this stage, a suitable room is selected, which is then equipped accordingly. The worms themselves are also purchased, and legal registration of the business takes place.
- The cultivation cycle, which involves the grinding of raw materials of organic origin and its addition as it is processed into composters (about once a month), daily moistening of the nutrient medium, timely planting of worms and sending vermicompost for further processing.
- Preparations for the sale of finished products. The production of vermicompost is not limited to removing worms from the composter. Vermicompost must also be carefully sifted, dried, and only after that you can proceed to packing. At this stage, you will also need to weigh and pack the finished goods.
- Implementation. This stage includes the search and expansion of sales channels for finished products using various marketing tools.
Registration of necessary documentation
To start this business, you do not need to draw up any permissions or receive certificates of conformity and licenses. It is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur (IP) for paying taxes according to a simplified scheme.
Vermicompost manufacturing equipment
The production of vermicompost does not imply the use of any sophisticated equipment. You only need composters, which you can either buy or make yourself from boards, a mechanical sieve for sifting, as well as scales and a device for sealing packages.
The walls of the composters in which the worms will live should have a height of the order of 35-40 centimeters. Moreover, they can represent not only plastic or wooden boxes, but also pits with concrete-flooded walls. Depending on the chosen type of construction of vermicultivators, it will be necessary to spend from 50 to 125 thousand rubles for the equipment of a room of 50 square meters.
Additional units, such as a sieve, scales, etc., will cost another 30-40 thousand rubles. In addition, you will need working equipment in the form of shovels, carts, buckets, forks for loosening, as well as an irrigation system and instruments for measuring soil temperature and acidity. About 30-40 thousand rubles will have to be spent on their purchase.
The choice of premises for the manufacture of vermicompost
The production of vermicompost is not possible without the availability of suitable facilities.It must necessarily be equipped with ventilation and heating system. Its area is determined based on the planned volume of finished products. It should also be noted that additional space is required for filling, packing and storing compost.
As for the financial costs of buying or renting and arranging the premises where the production of biohumus will take place, they will vary depending on the region and the type of structure. However, be prepared that at this stage you will have to invest from 50 to 500 thousand rubles.
Acquisition of a worm colony
You cannot do without these little workers. Buying 1000 worms will cost you two to three thousand rubles. This amount is enough to populate two square meters of your vermiferm. If you plan to produce biohumus on an area of 50 square meters, respectively, about 50 thousand rubles will have to be spent on the purchase of a sufficient population of worms.
Raw materials
The raw material for the production of vermicompost is manure that has passed the stage of composting. As a rule, livestock products of cattle are used. Raw materials are purchased at a price of 500-1000 rubles per ton. However, if you are lucky, you can agree on its free removal, as quite often farmers are faced with the problem of disposing of manure.
Sales of finished products
The main product of your vermiferm will be pure vermicompost, packaged in bags of various volumes, as well as mixtures based on it. However, worms themselves can also be sold in parallel. It makes sense to offer such a product to fishermen, pet stores, and poultry farms, as well as selling it directly as producers of environmentally friendly fertilizers.
Potential consumers of your main product will be summer residents and homeowners, home gardeners, as well as various nurseries and farms involved in agricultural production. In addition, it is possible to sell fertilizer to wholesale buyers who will be engaged in its further resale.
Biohumus production: financial side
Starting investments for the purchase or rental, as well as equipment for the premises, providing it with everything necessary and the purchase of worms will amount to 170 to 800 thousand rubles. Current expenses for utility bills, raw materials, salaries, etc., will range from 100 to 200 thousand per year. Thus, your costs in the first 12 months of business operation will vary from 270 thousand to 1 million rubles.
As for the revenue side, if you produce and sell 15 tons of vermicompost per year, the net profit will be from 150 to 200 thousand rubles. Moreover, this amount can be doubled, putting up for sale not pure vermicompost, but mixed with other substrates.
Thus, investments in the biohumus business will pay off in one and a half to two years. In this case, the level of profitability will be about 150-170%.
