How is the outlook for locust farming? A comprehensive analysis of market potential
Locusts are insects used both as medicine and as food. There are mainly two species that can be used as medicine and eaten, namely the East Asian migratory locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis) and the Chinese rice locust (Oxya chinensis). They are distributed in North China, East China, Central South China, and areas such as Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Taiwan, China. After being obtained, remove the wings and legs, wash them clean, scald them to death in boiling water, and then eat them. They are high in protein and are the most ideal food, with very high farming prospects.
Farming technology is simple and management is relatively easy
For most people, farming locusts is only a matter of experience. As long as there is grass (locusts only eat grasses with single blades, such as corn, wheat, Glechoma hederacea, reed grass, barnyard grass, and so on), they can be farmed. Moreover, management is relatively easy and the workload is very light; it is enough to feed them on time. Physiologically, locusts are also not prone to illness and do not transmit plagues, so no disease prevention is needed in farming.
Locust farming requires little investment and brings quick returns
Generally, about 300 yuan is enough to build a farming shed of fifty or sixty sq m. Space in front of and behind the house, in the courtyard, or on idle plots can be used to raise 10,000 to 30,000 seed eggs and seed locusts. Locusts mature in about 50 days, and with two seasons a year plus the hatching period, that is only about 5 months. The investment can be recovered and profit made in the same year, and in later years, depending on how many eggs the locusts lay, income can grow several times over. It is truly a rare and good way to get rich.
Broad development prospects
1. With the development of society and the continuous improvement of quality of life, human dining tables have shifted from traditional fare such as chicken, duck, fish, and meat to wild-game-type foods. Locusts are rich in nutrition, have tender meat, and taste as delicious as shrimp. In places such as Hong Kong, China, they have the laudatory name "flying shrimp," and they are a favorite delicacy among people of many countries. In the United States, "insect banquets" are even held to entertain distinguished guests, and locusts are among the dishes. According to reports, some patients with obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases now tend to eat insects, intending to achieve the goals of losing weight and curing disease. Following this, insect foods have correspondingly risen in some countries and regions. Using insects to make dishes, or making them into canned food, biscuits, ice cream, and other foods, sells very well.
2. According to expert analysis and measurement: the protein content of the East Asian migratory locust is as high as 74.88%, and the carbohydrate content is 4.77%. It also contains 18 kinds of amino acids and multiple active substances, as well as multiple vitamins A, B, and C and elements such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, zinc, and manganese. Locusts are also a good medicine for treating illness. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, locusts used alone or in combination can treat many diseases, such as cough, shortness of breath, tetanus, acute and chronic infantile convulsions, measles that will not come out, fever, asthma, bronchitis, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and have effects such as lowering blood pressure, reducing weight, and lowering cholesterol. Long-term consumption also has health-care functions such as relieving cough and calming asthma, nourishing and strengthening the body, and strengthening the spleen and promoting digestion, and can prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
At present, many large companies in China are engaged in the development and application of locusts. One listed company in Beijing alone asks us for 60 tons of adult locusts every year. We know well that our own supply is far from meeting their demand, and Guangzhou, Shandong, Liaoning, and other places also ask us for goods. Therefore, we have decided to expand farming scale externally, form industrialized operations, and provide one-stop services for farming, processing, and sales. In the sales link, we must first strictly control the hygiene quality of the processing and production procedures, so that our products meet national standards as soon as they go on the market. We must not only ensure that farmers have relatively high economic income, but also ensure that customers' interests are not harmed. We hope to maintain long-term cooperative relations with all customers and all farmers, and we are fully confident about this.