Jafar realized that by raising BSF larvae better known as maggots, he would do more than solve the problem of organic waste.
By
Ester Lince Napitupulu
·5 minutes read
ARSIP PRIBADI
Muhammad Jafar Khoerudin
Returning from an internship program in Japan in 2017, Muhammad Jafar Khoerudin, 27, was inspired to solve the waste problem in his birthplace of Boyolali, Central Java. Now, not only has the waste problem been eradicated but he has simultaneously brought about a major economic impact.
Jafar, a food technology graduate of Sebelas Maret University (UNS), Solo, began by seeking out information. From scientific journals, he discovered organic waste conversion technology by utilizing black soldier flies (BSF).
Jafar realized that by raising BSF larvae better known as maggots, he would do more than solve the problem of organic waste. The supply of agricultural fertilizer and livestock feed, which had burdened farmers and breeders, could be met through the rearing of maggots. On a self-taught basis, he started his business with capital derived from his internship allowances in Japan.
“In Japan, actually I studied microbes, focused more on fungi. I was thinking of Japan with no trash around. My search for a business idea made me explore the right business for problem solutions in my village,” said Jafar when contacted in Semarang on Friday (5/3/2021).
In one rainy season, Jafar observed vegetable waste in Boyolali Market and Sunggingan Market near his home. The waste was smelly. The stink of the waste also annoyed traders, including the parents of Jafar as sellers. However, organic waste handling by the local environment office was not optimal. There was compost-making but it took about a month so that kept mounting.
My search for a business idea made me explore the right business for problem solutions in my village.
Jafar introduced faster waste processing into compost by using maggots. On the other hand, organic waste could produce maggots as a source of protein for poultry and fish.
“As many issues could be solved by raising maggots, I got enthusiastic. AT the time very few people reared maggots. I learned it myself and bought BSF from a research laboratory in East Java,” said Jafar.
DOKUMENTASI PRIBADI
Muhammad Jafar Khoerudin
He built a maggot raising shed on a plot of 100 square meters, utilizing vegetable waste from the nearby markets to feed the larvae. In the initial phase, maggot production was not as originally thought. “The first production wasn’t smooth with a bad smell and residents protested,” he laughingly said.
Jafar also collaborated with 10 graduates ready to initiate a youth entrepreneurial enterprise. In less than five months, nine of them quit because the venture was not yet productive. The maggot breeding started yielding only in 2018.
My effort to utilize maggots to solve many things in Boyolali was went unheeded.
In 2018, Jafar was invited by Hokaido University, Japan, to give a presentation on how to overcome world disasters. He deemed it as an opportunity to present his maggot program. He approached the district bureaucracy and relevant office in the local administration to gain support for his departure to Japan. He only needed an aid fund worth around Rp7 million.
Yet his attempt was met with failure. “My effort to utilize maggots to solve many things in Boyolali was went unheeded. They might think why I could be invited to Japan for just such a bid. Finally, I used my savings to leave,” revealed Jafar.
Jafar got the chance to present his scheme along with representatives from 24 other countries at Hokaido University. He not only received their attention but even also emerged as one of the winners of the event.
DOKUMENTASI PRIBADI
Muhammad Jafar Khoerudin
Growing interest
Back home from Japan for the second time, Jafar no longer bothered about local government support. He carried on his plan until the maggot breeding business succeeded.
On a business scale, the Boyolali BSF venture kept growing, even producing 100 kilograms of maggots per day and 2-3 kg of dried processed maggots per day.
Catfish breeders using maggots as feed claimed they could harvest within only 2.5 months, shorter than the previous 3-month period. The cost of feed could also be saved by 30-40 percent. Poultry breeders also noticed the benefit of maggots, which enhanced their chickens’ body resistance and physical activity.
For lovers of song birds, such as robins, they got an extra egg from two to three. Koi and arwana fish grew faster than when fed with pellets. The colors of koi would also appear earlier.
Eventually, an investor in Boyolali offered cooperation to a undertake a venture of holistic agriculture, organic fertilizer and maggot feed. “Demand from farmers and breeders was rising so that we got overwhelmed. Other investors began to observe this,” said Jafar.
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Muhammad Jafar Khoerudin (right) is giving an explanation about maggot cultivation to several youths.
Investors from Semarang, Solo, Klaten and other regions were then coming. Only later did local and other regional administrations take heed of the business. Jafar with his BSFly company providing training and business-scale maggot raising consultancy has since had busy schedules.
The investors are interested in the potential of maggot derivatives, which are dried maggots, maggot flour and oil. The export market has thus opened, covering South Korea, Malaysia, Britain and Argentina. He has also contacted government agencies to convey his idea of maggot breeding in the management of organic waste in the final garbage dump.
For basic (consulting) service, it can be accessed for free, usually for personal needs.
Jafar is willing to share his knowledge. He is ready for discussions. His maggot shed in Boyolali is open to the public at 13.00-15.00. Long-distance consultancy from other regions can be done over the phone.
“For basic (consulting) service, it can be accessed for free, usually for personal needs. If business-scale consultancy is needed, paid training is provided including shed building service. We’ve had personnel in Central Java, East Java and West Java,” added Jafar.
Muhammad Jafar Khoerudin
Born: Boyolali, 28 February 1994
Education: First degree in Food Technology, Sebelas Maret University, Solo, Central Java
Achievements:
- Recipient of Students’ Creativity Program (PKM) Grant (2020)
- Recipient of Agriculture Ministry’s Agriculture Youth Entrepreneurial Growth Program (PWMP) Grant (2019)
