By Chinyere Anyanwu
A palm weevil larvae farmer and Chief Executive Officer of Smart360 Farms Limited, Ogun State, Mr. Smart Chukwudi, has highlighted the growing demand for palm weevil larvae both as a source of protein for human consumption and as a sustainable alternative for animal feed production, including poultry, pig and fish feed.
Chukwudi, who not only cultivates the larvae but also trains others in its production, described the market as thriving, driven by increasing interest from livestock farmers seeking affordable feed options amid rising costs.
“Animal feeds are very expensive now, and this affects the prices of these animals,” he said. “For instance, one chicken now costs between N40,000 and N50,000. It’s because of how costly the feed is, so people can leverage the palm weevil larvae to subsidise the cost of feeding their birds.”
According to him, the market is expanding rapidly and currently outstripping supply. “The demand for it is growing fast, both for consumption and feed production, and we are not even meeting the demand. It’s a booming market right now. One palm weevil larva sells for N300 and you can farm it in the comfort of your home,” he said.
Chukwudi further explained the process of converting the larvae into animal feed. “Some people enrol for the palm weevil larvae production training because they want to use it for feed production. To convert it to feed, you gather them, roast or dry them, and blend them. Then you can mix the derived powder with a little feed and you will get very nutritious feed for your animal,” he added. His position comes amid skyrocketing prices of poultry products and fish in the country, which is now a major concern to consumers as well as poultry and fish farmers.
The constantly rising cost of feed has been blamed for the situation. Yet, the demand for fish, poultry meat and eggs is increasing.
With the ever growing population of Nigeria and the challenge of feeding this burgeoning population, sustainable poultry and fish production is going to play a key role in meeting the protein needs of the citizenry. This will also mean feeding larger numbers of chickens, turkeys and other poultry.
Poultry and fish farmers say the main source of protein for poultry feed is soybean and it is the major reason the cost of feed is constantly on the increase. There is, therefore, a growing need to secure a reliable and sustainable protein source in poultry and fish feed production. By increasing the diversity of feed inputs, poultry producers believe the cost of production can be reasonably reduced, which will in turn relieve consumers’ burden of high cost of purchasing the products.
The search for a cheaper source of protein in feed production has led producers to look the way of the palm weevil larvae, which are packed with essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, high protein levels, as well as twice the average zinc content of beef.
The palm weevil larvae as a nutritious food source has long been eaten in many cultures. The iron content makes it particularly attractive for areas of West Africa where anaemia is a widespread problem.
Incorporating the palm weevil larvae into animal feed, according to experts, will not only drive down feed production cost but also reduce risks of antibiotic use in poultry thereby ensuring healthier products for consumers.
Though palm weevil larvae have been consumed for many centuries, farming them on a commercial scale is yet to gather momentum.