Organic fertilizer for the farmers
RECENTLY the trend on both agriculture and market consumption are geared towards healthier and more organic means.
Farmers are now venturing into organic farming and finding more means to grow their crops in a healthier manner which would benefit both the consumers and their products.
King Humus Plus, is a powdered fertilizer that is mostly composed of lignite, a natural substance found forming between peat and coal. This was discovered sometime in 1940s in Germany before the World War II. Lignite is primarily found on places with cold temperature such as China, Germany, Sudan, and North and South Dakota. As per laboratory results, it has a high humic acid, much higher than the organic fertilizers more known and much used by farmers now.
Michael Dizon, distributor of King Humus Plus in Davao City, said the humic acid content in vermiculture is around 25 percent, chicken dung with only less than 5 percent, and human waste at around 50 percent.
He added, as compared to these conventional organic fertilizers being used today, lignite had been present even 70 million years earlier even during the era of dinosaurs, decomposing and forming minerals underground for many centuries now, thus the better nutrients it contains as compared to other natural fertilizers.
“This is 100 percent soluble and is very safe. It has neither overdosage nor expiration. As a matter of fact, it is too safe that it can even be dissolved in water and is safe for human drinking,” said Dizon.
He added King Humus Plus is a fertilizer suitable for any type of plants – from garden plants, fruit and vegetable crops to rice. Mainly, the lignite found in the product serves as soil conditioner which improves the soil structure and soil nutrients. It also contains potassium and phosphorus and 68 other more micro elements. Aside from that, humic acid also have natural pest controlling components which repel pests from eating the crops its leaves.
Dizon also said a single 100g pack of the product is equal to the organic matter content that can be derived from a 3,000 kg chicken dung.
King Humus Plus had already been used in different countries such as Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and mainland China among other countries. In Davao Region, Dizon said a number of farmers had already ventured into organic farming using this product specifically in areas of Marilog, Calinan, Toril, Paquibato, Mintal, and Catalunan Grande.
“Farmers that used this said their work was made easy. It saves them time and expenses. Farmers who used it with their rice plants noted an increase in their harvest by 40 to 45 percent. Before, they used to harvest about 100 sacks per hectare. Now, they are able to harvest about 190-200 sacks,” said Dizon adding that using this product is less laborious as it only requires mixing with water compared to man-made vermiculture.
“In a way, it also helps farmers have safe food for their consumers,” he said.
As this is somehow new to the organic farming industry, Dizon said he had encountered farmers who are hesitant in using the product as they are already used to the synthetic fertilizers.
“I asked them if personally, they are comfortable consuming their own crops which they have used other fertilizers on. They answered no, they won’t even eat it. The truth is they actually have separate backyard crops for their own consumption and a separate area for those they offer for selling,” Dizon said.
He said that was how he was able to encourage farmers to go into real healthy organic way of farming – to think of the consumers’ welfare as well.
A single 100g pack of King Humus Plus has a retail price of about P600. But Dizon offers discount packages for farmers priced at only P6,980 for 12 packs which allows farmers to save up to P220. By the second purchase of the farmer, Dizon only offers a single 100g pack by only P295.