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…