The price of a pound of dried cockroaches has gone from $2 to $20(in some cases $89) since 2010. Coupled with the ease and cheapness of sustaining large cockroach farms, the industry has boomed in the past several years. There is now around a 100 cockroach farms in China, and this number is expected to increase dramatically. The relatively cheap start-up costs make this industry open to many poor Chinese working class people who are looking to make good, consistent money. This is also a worry of Liu Yusheng, head of the Shandong Insect Industry Assn., “This is not like raising regular farm animals or vegetables where the Agricultural Ministry knows who is supposed to regulate it. Nobody knows who is in charge here.” But still no one can argue the appeal (at least from a business standpoint), an investment of $3.25 returns $11.
The biggest questions for most people is surely, “Who the hell is buying all these cockroaches?” and “Why are they paying so much?” Apparently cockroaches are a sought after commodity in China. Chinese Pharmaceutical and Research companies have been researching pulverized cockroaches as treatments for cancer, AIDS, and baldness. They have also looked into using cockroaches in vitamin supplements (they are extremely high in protein). Cockroach farmers have also been pushing for increased use of cockroaches as feed for more conventional farm animals, fish, and even as a delicacy for humans.
I wonder if the opinion of insect farming could ever be changed in the West. Do you think you would ever switch your hamburger or bacon for a fried cockroach? Doesn’t sound appealing to me but maybe one day our grandchildren will be making fun of us for squeamish about their favorite food, cockroaches. I’m hoping I’m dead by then.
(Source: LATimes.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment