INSIDE STORY: Despite insurgency, Borno's multi-billion naira grasshoppers industry taking residents out of poverty

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The marks of senescence are only apparent on Regina Wazani up close as she moves about gingerly, tending to the activities that her work requires.

The marks of old age were only apparent on Regina Wazani at close range as she moved about gingerly, tending to the activities that her work required. Washing, peeling, boiling, and frying were the routine of her business.

Wazani sits inside her shop in Wulari with a tray of fried grasshoppers in front of her. Shops like hers litter the streets of Maiduguri Despite the large-scale insecurity in the state, Borno houses a capital that is now regarded as “the headquarters of grasshoppers trading”, due to the popularity of the business in Maiduguri.

Similarly, many dealers like Sunday Ayuba and Alkali Umara have bought and built houses from the business. Umara said he has five children in private schools and “maintains” his two wives from the business. The global insect food industry — largely dominated by Asian and European Union countries — is expected to witness a significant rise due to the increasing consumption of edible insects. The market is estimated to reachindicates that private sector investment in the industry is increasing “in an alarming rate” in African nations like South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt — the leading insect food markets on the continent.

Companies like Ecodudu, BioBuu, InsectiPro, and Uganda’s Marula Proteen have also received significant funding, she said. Residents say consumption is also cheaper when compared to meat, as a handful of the fried insects can be accessed for just N200. “You get sack bags from the market and sow into a ‘shirt and trouser’, wear boots, and put a torchlight on your forehead,” said Peter Tah, a former catcher.

Traders told TheCable that catchers have encountered Boko Haram fighters in the forests on many occasions, although they were not harmed.Tah said when the insects are caught, the catchers take them to their sponsors who then buy at a rate ranging between N10,000 and N12,000 per bag depending on the quantity of each bag.A catcher could get as much as “30 sac bags” of grasshoppers per night – all disproportionately filled.“When I buy it from the market, I’ll soak it in water for 20 minutes.

“The second place — Kasua Fara — where we currently are, we’re facing more challenges because the people that own the land are still disturbing us to look for a place to stay because they’re not going to allow us to stay there forever,” said Aishatu Barba, the association’s chairlady. “It’s not everybody that can look for government work after finishing their education. So, that’s why we are praying, and asking the government to help us to get a standard place.”

Usman said this tradition has continued to date — making it very difficult for the government to support any business. He said once the traders register under the chamber, experts will be invited to educate them about the species of grasshoppers and build their capacity. Olusegun Lawal, a professor at the department of zoology and environmental biology at the Olabisi Onabanjo University , said grasshopper consumption is safe — but it must be well prepared.

 

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