The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
DESPITE the adverse climate change effects which are taking a huge toll on food production, the world’s population continues to grow, hitting eight billion last week.
Experts are coming up with alternative, yet sustainable ways of producing organic food.
This has seen formerly frowned upon insects turning into a delicacy.
ln some Western countries, the Black Soldier Flies (BSF) and their larvae, or simply maggots, are being used for human consumption.
Consumers of BSF larvae claim that when cooking them, the aroma is similar to that of potatoes.
The taste is reportedly nutty and meaty, with a texture of soft meat.
Unfortunately or fortunately, the maggots are not yet being consumed by humans in Zimbabwe.
The insects were recently imported from South America and Kenya into the country by a few local breeders who intend to use them for farming purposes.
Brothers, Messrs Barley and Godfrey Chironda (both 42) of Museve Village under Chief Mutasa are some of the pioneer BSF farmers in Zimbabwe.
Barley is based in the United Kingdom while Godfrey is in charge of the day-to-day running of the maggot farming business.
When The Manica Post visited Haggai Farm last week on Friday, Mr Godfrey Chironda was feeding the maggots.
He said there is a huge demand for maggots in the country.
“It is surprising to note how the market for maggots has grown in Zimbabwe. Livestock farmers from all walks of life have realised that maggot feed is ideal for their livestock and this has created a huge market for the few maggot farmers in the country. We are actually failing to meet the demand due to our limited workspace,” said Mr Chironda.
He said there is need for more farmers to be trained in the trade.
He said BSF larvae or simply maggot farming is the easiest kind of farming as it is not time consuming and does not require much labour as the maggots look after themselves.
One of the BSF’s most interesting properties is its closed life cycle.
The adult female lays its eggs, not long before dying, and the larvae hatches after four to five days.
“The whole process takes about 45 days and one fly can lay up to 500 eggs on each cycle. We keep the flies in what we call love cages. They lay their eggs in there and traps are put in place for them to lay the eggs. The eggs are then put into hatchling showers where they hatch their larvae. When the larvae turn five days old, they are moved into the feed,” he explained.
The larvae/maggots feed for two weeks and they also spend a further three weeks in a state where they just lie idle.
He said the feed for the maggots is anything organic, usually kitchen waste or brewery.
Mr Chironda said they get the waste from Mutare City Council, Pungwe Breweries and their home.
They are producing poultry and fish feed from the maggots. The brothers also breed the flies and sell to other farmers who would like to venture into maggot farming.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has since contracted the Chironda brothers to supply it with at least 20 tonnes of feed every month.
“For protein feed, we harvest the larvae before it hardens its shells and turn into flies. We dry it and mix it with other feed. It will be ready to go as livestock feed.
“However, when it is for breeding, we wait until they harden their shells and turn into flies. We then harvest the pupa and rebreed,” he said.
People in other countries consume the maggots as flour and other forms. Maggots are rich in nutrients as they carry more than 50 percent of protein, calcium and other nutrients.
Soya beans, which is normally used for animal feed, has 42 percent protein and is far more expensive.
The Chironda brothers used to feed their livestock, a herd of 70 goats and 200 chickens, with the maggots, until they decided to turn the maggot farming into a business.
“We had to do away with goat and chicken farming and concentrate on maggot farming since it is a lucrative venture. We are failing to meet the growing demand and believe with better financial backing, we can expand our business,” he said.
“We are currently producing at least five tonnes per month because our farming area is small, just a 75-square metre greenhouse at our family homestead. We are confident that we will soon be able to produce FAO’s order of 20 tonnes per month.
“We are also having challenges to procure the waste quantities we want because of limited finances,” said Mr Chironda.
BSF are considered to be sanitary as they are designed to break down the bacteria in their food (which is the waste they are fed), therefore the Chirondas’ neighbours do not have to endure any foul smell from the greenhouse.
A neighbour, Ms Ruvimbo Charindo attested to this.
“When we first heard that Godfrey and his brother had ventured into maggot farming, we thought we were in for a torrid time as maggots are usually associated with rotten waste.
“However, the brothers have actually been helping us with high protein feed for our livestock at a fair price. We are grateful of that,” she said.
In an interview, Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association chairman, Mr Garikai Munatsirei said BSF larvae feed is a cheaper and nutrient rich feed ingredient.
“As the BSF larvae basically take care of themselves, they end up being packed with nutrients as they ingest as much as possible before they move to the fly stage of their life cycle.
“In the aquaculture business, BSF larvae are best known for being an excellent source of protein and this has helped in substituting the expensive fish feed that we mostly import,” he said.
BSF larvae do not create protein themselves. Rather, they process protein from the things they eat.
FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa, Dr Patrice Talla commended Government for encouraging sustainable maggot farming in the country, adding that it compliments fish farming.
