Cockroach farming a runaway success in China

Thursday, January 2, 2014

There's an emerging market that is earning some Chinese farmers a tidy profit.

The Los Angeles Times reports that there are approximately 100 cockroach farms in China raising well over 10 million of the crawly critters. Dried cockroaches can be sold for as much as $20 a pound to cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies, who use the cellulose-like substance found on their wings.

Overhead is low since cockroaches require no housing to speak of and they eat garbage.

Roach farmer Wang Fuming tells the Times, "I thought about raising pigs, but with traditional farming, the profit margins are very low. With cockroaches, you can invest 20 yuan and get back 150 yuan."

But there are risks. "The Great Escape" made headlines in August after a cockroach farm was unexpectedly demolished. You can guess the rest. BF