The farming story of mealworm farmer Zhu Jintai
In recent years, Xianju County has seen a surge in farming fever,raising geese, raising pheasants, raising bullfrogs - all kinds of farming have set some "sharp-eyed" farmers on the road to prosperity. But have you ever heard that raising insects can also make you rich? Zhu Jintai from Tianyang Village, Shangzhang Township, is a man who made his fortune by raising mealworms.
When the reporter arrived at Zhu Jintai's breeding base in Tianyang, Shangzhang Township, he happened to see him feeding his beloved "little bugs." The mealworms wriggled their bodies, eating their "rations" with relish, and were growing well. A joyful smile appeared on Zhu Jintai's face, and he excitedly told the reporter that this batch of mealworms was ready to be sold.
In 2008, while working away from home, Zhu Jintai happened to hear from a friend that someone had made a fortune raising mealworms, and he immediately felt that this was a good path to wealth. By gathering information, he further learned that mealworms are treasures from head to tail: the protein-rich molted shells from the four stages from seed worm to adult worm make them very suitable as feed for pigs and chickens. At the same time, the protein peptides extracted from mealworms can boost human immunity, and some places already have restaurants specializing in mealworm banquets, with extremely brisk business.
After careful analysis, Zhu Jintai concluded that mealworm farming has "five savings" features: saves labor, as one person can raise 1000 boxes; saves time, as feeding is needed only once a day; saves electricity, as one 60-watt light bulb installed in a room is enough; saves space, as each box of 10,000 worms occupies only 0.5 sq m, allowing intensive farming; and saves feed, as one box of mealworms needs only 0.5 kg of bran and cornmeal per day, plus a small amount of vegetables. He felt that mealworm farming had broad prospects for development and immediately decided to invest in the project. Just like that, Zhu Jintai returned to his hometown of Tianyang Village, Shangzhang, and started raising this kind of insect that most people find "disgusting."
Zhu Jintai also carefully observed the growth process of the mealworms every day and kept written records. At the same time, he persisted in learning mealworm rearing techniques. Combining theory with practice, Zhu Jintai's farming skills improved quickly, and he mastered the rearing techniques for "seed worms," achieving success in mealworm farming.
Zhu Jintai said: "I plan to breed the mealworms up to 5000 jin within 1 year and combine that with raising other species to form a farming chain. If the returns are good, I will promote it to my fellow villagers so that more people can get rich."