Wang Peng Shows Remarkable Insight by Farming Flies, the Fly King Earns a Million a Year

    Mention flies, and people think of a disgusting pest. But in the eyes of a young man in Luhe District, Nanjing, flies are a treasure. In his operation, the flies eat infant formula and pure brown sugar, and drink purified water. Not only that, he also quit his bank "golden rice bowl" job, willingly becoming a full-time "fly nanny."  

Wang Peng, now 28 years old, is a native of Nanjing. In 2005, he saw a news item in the newspaper saying that demand for chitin and chitosan was huge, but the existing methods of obtaining them were costly and highly polluting. If fly pupal shells and maggot skins were used instead, the pollution would be low, the profits high, and the market prospects very considerable.  

Wang Peng, who had always wanted to do something big, could not help but brighten up at this. After repeated market research and analysis, he felt it was a good project. Not long after, despite his family's opposition, he quit his job to devote himself to "waiting on" flies. Where could he find so many flies? Wang Peng got in touch with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, where experts had specially bred an improved fly species -- the "sterile engineered fly." This kind of fly is cultivated in the laboratory and is completely different from ordinary flies, but the price is also very high: one tenth of a yuan each!  

With the breeding flies settled, Wang Peng then traveled to breeding bases in Guangdong, Fujian and other places to learn the techniques. In June 2006, a "fly breeding base" with a total investment of 300,000 yuan and covering 8 mu welcomed its first batch of "sterile engineered flies" in the countryside of Xinhuang Town, Luhe.  

Half a year later, the "fly farm" had also developed more than 10 fly products, and recovered its costs that same year. At present, the "fly farm" has expanded to 300 mu, with annual profits reaching more than 1 million.