Thai farmer capitalises on high demand for grasshoppers

A Thai farmer in the northeast Nakhon Phanom province found success breeding Patanga grasshoppers, selling eggs at 10,000 baht per kilogram. These grasshoppers are found throughout Asia. The venture, which began as a side occupation, has seen a surge in demand with orders queueing up. Having tried his hands at rearing various animals, the farmer switched to breeding these grasshoppers and reaping their financial rewards.

The farmer, 51 year old Somsit Ritthipa, told Thai media that after graduating from a local agricultural college, he worked at the forestry office in Nakhon Phanom. During his spare time, he raised pigs, chickens, fish, and frogs at the back of his house as supplementary income. One day he came across a video on YouTube about rearing Patanga grasshoppers in Sisaket province, where the eggs were sold at 10,000 baht per kilogram, which piqued his interest. Somsit ordered 1,000 baht worth of eggs to experiment with the new venture.

Somsit recalled that he reared these grasshoppers in a simple enclosure and fed them grass and leaves as per the video recommendations. He said rearing these grasshoppers was considerably easy, as it did not require much water and they were low-maintenance. After 30 to 35 days, the grasshoppers mated and laid their eggs, after which they would naturally die after 50 to 60 days.

Farmers who successfully raise these grasshoppers could sell the eggs or choose to sell the live grasshoppers to local vendors who would then sell them in markets. The live grasshoppers can be sold for 450 to 600 baht per kilogram, depending on the area.

Somsit’s first batch of grasshoppers brought him 12,000 baht in egg sales, while his second batch fetched 15,000 baht. The third batch has seen customers from nearby districts and sub-districts ordering eggs through their Facebook page, with at least 3 kilograms of eggs currently on order.

Those interested to learn more can reach Somsit at 087-772-3794.