New possibilities with Super Napier

by Zac Sarian An organic farming entrepreneur is excited about the new possibilities with the Pakchong 1, the Super Napier that was developed by Dr. Krailas Kyiothong of Thailand. The planting materials of this fast-growing and highly nutritious grass are now available in the Philippines and that’s what excites fellows with entrepreneurial mindset. One guy who is most excited is Ronald Costales of the Costales Nature Farms in Majayjay, Laguna. Why? BIG PLANS WITH SUPER NAPIER BIG PLANS WITH SUPER NAPIER — Ronald Costales has big plans with Pakchong 1, the so-called Super Napier, which he has acquired lately. He intends to formulate fermented feeds out of Super Napure leaves and stems for feeding to organic pigs and chickens. He is also eyeing extracts from Super Napier as organic foliar fertilizer because this fast-growing grass contains 17 to 18 percent crude protein. Photo shows Costales with 10-days old Super Napier which he intercropped with Frillice lettuce to maximize production from precious farm space. He believes that with the super grass that contains 17 to 18 percent crude protein, it could significantly boost organic pig production not only for himself but also for other ordinary pig raisers. He said that Jess Domingo of Alfonso Lista, Ifugao, has already proven that growing organic hogs with fermented feeds that include even chopped water hyacinth can be profitable. Domingo has proven that he can make a profit of P5,550 per head of organically grown hogs in a growing period of 5.5 to 6 months during which the piglet will attain a weight of 90 kilos. An engineer who is adept at figures, Ronald has been making his own computations of feed formulations for fatteners, brood sow and piglets. He has come up with figures showing how much of Super Napier can substitute the costly soya and fish meal in formulated feeds. He is also now experimenting in making silage out of napier tops with the addition of molasses and effective microorganisms (EM). King Ranch has supplied him some napier tops. This early, Ronald is crafting schemes that could benefit not only himself but also other farmers who don’t have access to essential inputs in raising organic pigs. So he is going to grow Super Napier in big scale and make use of the biomass to produce fermented pig feed for sale to other farmers. JOINT VENTURE — One possibility is to have a joint venture with selected farmers. The farmer will be trained on the basics of raising organic pigs. The farmer will put up his own hog house similar to the system used by Ronald. One scheme could be this way. The farmer provides the hog house and labor. Ronald, on the other hand, provides the piglets with value indicated, and the feeds with the value also indicated. After the growing period of 5.5 to 6 months and the piglet has attained 90 kilos or thereabouts, Ronald will buy the fattened pig at the prevailing price in the market. From the total proceeds, the value of the piglet and the feeds is deducted. The remainder is then shared equally by Ronald and the farmer. MORE VARIANTS — Other variants are also possible. For instance, the farmer can put up his own housing, buy his own piglets and also buys the fermented feeds from Ronald. At harvest time, the farmer can sell his fattened hog to Ronald or to some other buyers. He is free to sell to any buyer. Farmers can also undergo training in organic hog production, including formulation of feeds. That way they can make additional profits for themselves if they formulate their own feeds. One advantage that Ronald will get from the increased interest in organic hog production is that he will be assured of adequate supply of organic pork that he can sell to his fast growing clients for organic farm produce in Metro Manila. ORGANIC CHICKENS, TOO — Ronald is also into the raising of organic eggs and poultry meat. And he is also excited in formulating fermented Super Napier for feeding his chickens. Currently, he raises a lot of native chickens. At the same time, he is producing the Sasso-type broilers and layers which he supplies to a well known distributor of organic foods and wellness products in Metro Manila. ORGANIC FOLIAR FERTILIZER, TOO — Ronald also sees the possibility of producing Super Napier extracts which will be used as fertilizer for his salad green crops like lettuce, arugula, French beans, Japanese cucumber and culinary herbs. Oh yes, there are a lot of possibilities with the Super Napier. And the above are just for organic farming. **** **** ****