DIFFICULTY IN INSECT CULTIVATION

[Anchor Lead]

Producing less carbon emission, insects are more environmental-friendly and easier to grow than other livestock or crops. Insects are being used not only as food but also in cosmetics and medicine. However, farmers who cultivate these versatile critters are having a hard time marketing their products.

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Hundreds of chickens gather as a farmer sprinkles feed. They're not eating ordinary feed. These are black soldier flies. The insects make great feed as they are high in protein and has lower allergy risks.

[Soundbite] Eom Jae-seong(Insect Farmer) : "Insect feed can substantially reduce the livestock mortality rate and cut feed cost. It can also be used as an antibody substitute."

Insect farming produces more output on smaller space, and the carbon emission during cultivation is just 1/34 of cattle farming. The number of insect farmers is on the rise every year as the popularity of insects mount in the cosmetic and medical sectors. But most insect farmers are small, making it difficult for them to secure a market or develop new techniques.

[Soundbite] Lim Won-sik(Insect Farmer) : "I can't sell them even when they are all grown. I have nowhere to sell them in bulk."

Only ten percent of some 2,800 insect farmers in Korea are registered as a corporate body. The rest are small farmers lacking funds and technology. What's urgently needed are ways to promote insect consumption while increasing the size of insect farms.

[Soundbite] Nam Seong-hee(Industrial Insect and Sericulture Division, RDA) : "We focus on modernizing farming facilities and expanding production. For instance, we plan to build a mass production system and smart insect-growing facilities."

The Korean insect market is expected to reach 630 billion won by 2030. Government assistance such as a comprehensive cultivation plan is desperately needed for this promising new industry to fulfill its potential.