Food Security After COVID-19 ... Gyeongbuk Province Says "The Answer Lies in the Insect Industry"

Establishment of Insect Industry Specialized Complex and Formulation of Innovation Action Plan

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on the 20th that it will focus on fostering the insect industry, which has recently gained renewed attention as a future protein source through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, as the global COVID-19 pandemic prolongs, problems such as export disruptions between countries, movement restrictions within regions, and shortages in food supply have spread, raising concerns about food security. At this point, Gyeongbuk Province is concentrating on the insect industry as a countermeasure to the food crisis.

Insects contain high-quality protein ranging from 40% to as much as 70%, along with various vitamins and minerals. In 2013, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) named edible insects as "mini-livestock," indicating that the world is already focusing on them as future food resources, which is the rationale behind Gyeongbuk Province's promotion of the insect industry.

While livestock requires 10 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of protein, insects only need 1 kg. The greenhouse gas emissions ratio between livestock and insects is 2850 to 1, and water usage is 1500 to 1.

Gyeongbuk Province's insect industry began to grow in earnest with the enactment of the "Ordinance on the Promotion and Support of the Insect Industry" in 2015. As of 2018, the number of farms was 427 (out of 2,318 nationwide), ranking second in the country. Sales reached 5 billion KRW (out of 37.5 billion KRW nationwide).

In particular, the insect industry is growing centered on edible insects, with about 340 farms in the province raising the white-spotted flower chafer (Kkotbaengi) and the brown mealworm (Gosoae), the representative edible insects, the largest number nationwide.

The domestic insect market is expected to continue growing steadily, from 264.8 billion KRW in 2018 to 361.6 billion KRW in 2020, and 630.9 billion KRW by 2030.

Kang Ji-yeon, CEO of Bonghwa Insect Hotel, which raises edible white-spotted flower chafers in Bonghwa County, said, "The boom in edible insect farming, which started under the slogan of future food, is currently confined to a limited market for medicinal use," adding, "Insects have medicinal value, but their greatest value lies in being a protein source that can replace livestock, and industrial changes are needed for this."

Gyeongbuk Province plans to promote ▲ the establishment of a specialized insect industry complex ▲ the establishment of an innovation execution plan for the Gyeongsangbuk-do insect industry ▲ and the construction of a non-face-to-face distribution system for insect products to resolve current issues in the insect industry and to intensively foster it from the perspective of food security after COVID-19.

Kim Jong-su, Director of the Agriculture, Livestock, and Distribution Bureau of Gyeongsangbuk-do, said, "The insect industry in Gyeongbuk has steadily grown centered on edible insects," adding, "Food security will emerge as the most important keyword after COVID-19, and insects are the most feasible alternative protein source at this point. Accordingly, we will lead the domestic insect industry through systematic fostering in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.