Who would have thought that building biogas would provide abundant blessings for business. That is what Agus Purnomo feels as a biogas user who works as a dairy farmer from Ringinagung Hamlet, Medowo Village, Kec. Kandangan, Kab. Kediri. Agus uses bio-slurry in planting odot grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott), in an area of ​​± 4 hectares.

Starting from Agus, Wanto, who was interested in building biogas, so it was finally implemented. Agus also saw bio-slurry or biogas waste that he could use especially for his odot plant. Bio-slurry is known as a natural fertilizer that can make plants bushier, have higher quality, and also improve the land. In addition to obtaining bio-slurry from his brother’s biogas unit, Agus also uses bio-slurry from another user in the area, Benua.

To fertilize an area of ​​1 hectare, Agus needs ± 30-35 tonnes of dry bio-slurry. Fertilizer is applied once before planting odot and then given again after 2-3 years. For bio-slurry fertilizer, besides being obtained from the 2 existing digester units, Agus also buys biogas users from KUD Kertajaya members. Agus bought 1 sack of solid bio-slurry weighing 30-40 kg for IDR 5,000 / sack.

Agus partners with KUD Kertajaya on a contract system so that all the odot harvested will be purchased by KUD Kertajaya according to the market price of between Rp. 250 – Rp. 400 / kg. This is in order to meet the forage / grass needs for KUD Kertajaya members. A subsidy of Rp. 50 / kg is given by KUD Kertajaya to farmers when the price of odot reaches its highest point of Rp. 450 / kg so that the selling price to farmers is Rp. 400 / kg. KUD Kertajaya also gives a subsidy of Rp. 50 / kg to farmers who plant odot if the price reaches the lowest point of Rp. 250 / kg so that the selling price becomes Rp. 300 / kg. KUD Kertajaya grass outlet was established in mid 2016.

In the rainy season 1 Ha of land can produce 70 tonnes of odot with a planting period of 50-60 days. During the dry season, the yield of odot is around 50 tons. In 1 day in the rainy season the sales of odot grass at KUD Kertajaya outlets reached 2.5 tons of odot. In the dry season it can reach 6 tons.

The first planting cost + seeds + labor for 1 hectare land is ± IDR 30,000,000. Purchase seeds only once because after being harvested there is no need for seeds anymore. 1 Ha requires 15,000 sticks at a price of IDR 50,000 / 300 sticks. For seedlings, it costs ± IDR 2,500,000 / Ha. From rhizomes / rhizomes (plant stems that grow under the soil surface, can produce new shoots and roots from the joints), odot will grow back and this can last up to 4-5 years. Cutting and carrying costs Rp. 150,000 / ton, for 50 tonnes of odot it costs Rp. 7,500,000 / harvest. The proceeds from selling 1 hectare of odot weighing ± 50 tons at a price of Rp. 325 / kg yielded Rp. 16,250,000. With the addition of bio-slurry for fertilizer there was an increase in the yield of odot by 20%. Per 1 m2 area can produce as much as 5 kg of odot.

Simple analysis of Pak Agus’ odot grass business with a land area of 1 hectare for 1 year with 4 times the harvest: