Turkish farm exports 1M grasshoppers annually

By Hatice Ozdemir Tosun

ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) - A Turkish farm, producing live baits such as bugs and worms, exports 1 million grasshoppers annually, said the farm owner.

Established in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in 2003, the farm raises 12 types of insects, including morio worm, flour beetle and cricket, Selami Gokgol told Anadolu Agency.

The price of a grasshopper varies from 0.63 ($0.11) to 1.1 ($0.18) Turkish liras.

"We export grasshoppers mostly to Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria. Kuwait is our customer, as well, they also want us to build a facility there," he said.

The production in the farms complies with the EU standards, he added.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun from Istanbul