The grasshopper season has compelled butchers in Kabale municipality to slash the price of beef by more than half so as to attract customers.
A kilogram of beef in Kabale municipality now costs Shs 5000 from Shs 9000. Goat meat has remained at Shs 10,000. Some of the butchers interviewed by URN say that they were compelled to slash the price of beef after realizing that most of their customers have resorted to buying grasshoppers locally known as, "Nsenene".
Several people in Kabale have been spending sleepless nights over the past three weeks harvesting grasshoppers. A mug of grasshoppers in Kabale municipality goes for Shs 1500.
Several people in Kabale have been spending sleepless nights over the past three weeks harvesting grasshoppers. A mug of grasshoppers in Kabale municipality goes for Shs 1500.
He explains that most of his customers have substituted meat with grasshoppers because they are cheap, which has compelled them to slash the price of beef.
Naris Turyatunga, another butcher says that the meat he would sell in one day before the grasshopper season, now takes up to three days. Aidah Kyarisiima, a resident of Bungongi in Northern division in Kabale municipality, says she put aside her charcoal business to catch grasshoppers, which are on high demand.
Tugumisirize says that the grasshopper business pays more and doesn't wear them out like charcoal. Kyarisiima also says that she is working hard to make sure that the money she reaps from selling grasshoppers helps her clear her bank loan.
Bosco Muhwezi, a resident of Kigongi in Central division Kabale municipality says that he will think of buying meat for his family when the grasshopper season is over. Muhwezi says that he and his wife can't afford missing cooked grasshoppers everyday because they are very delicious.
Comments
I watched a very unfortunate episode on TV, at an airport in Australia or Newzealand, where an overzealous airport security lady looked at a bucket of fried 'Nsenese' carried by a Ugandan in horror and disgust.
With a very troubled face, she put on a pair of gloves and poured the entire contents of the bucket into a garbage heap, fined the Ugandan several Dollars and with contempt dismissed him.
All along, she was referring to 'Nsenene' as locusts and in her pathetic ignorance refused even the well-packaged, harmless, fresh and fried delicacy entry. That was a very sad day.
Why: (a) If we still have real insectologists at any of our research and teaching instititions, they should have seen foreseen this opportunity and should have already devilered to us "farm-able" nsenene/insect technology by now.
I complement Dr. Agea [& his Phd students] @ Mak're for their very relevant reseach focus on nsenene.
(b) There is a hype in Europe for healthy, environmently @ animal freindly Protein Food Resources . Insects are on some rathr expensive menus.
Nsenene is already an edible insect (so no serious reaserch / proof is required about it's suitability as food for Homo species).
So, captive markets (inclusive for Uganda, but exclusive for EU) are available. [I can foresee that someone in Uganda could take this up as a challange. That would be very interesting].
we thank you for our annual grasshoppers miracle.
Never mind about the Australians' disgustI remember one situation involving me in a West African capital: When a French friend of mine, whom I share a dinner table ordered his favourate food.
I vomited in uncontrolable in the upper-class restuarat when the snails arrived on our table. I was so assamed, My Dear.
There was a time when even in Europe they used to be shocked by the sight of insects that were consided delicacies in "primitive cultures".
In Finland , they started working on a programme to produce edible insects. The intention is to reduce consumption of meats by substituting it with insects.
A few months ago , Sweden cleared studies of insects as food.
Long ago , Ensenene were only eated by baganda and some few bantu tribes. Today , ensebene has become one of the most popular eats national-wide.
My Swedish friends always ask me to bring some ensenene whener I go home to vist.
The photo above has just made me home sick.
Bannange , go easy on advertising our miracle insect.
You see our nsenene market has been invaded by Chinese, Japanese and all these other "investors" from the East.
Chinese are exporting more than 30% of our blessed hoppers annually. It not known if there is tax to pay for exporting nsenene.
As Kent Mawa reports , the Mzungu, who used to despise our eating habits, is now copying us.
Before we know it , the price of nsenene will be so high our people will not afford nsenene , just like they can`t afford Nescafe or Kit Kat though they are the ones who produce these things.
You don't just turn up at any developed country's airport and say, " This is our thing from home" (Enno byafyee) and expect to be waved through. Wise up.
I agree with you entirely. I am a (retired) food security consultant. Nsenene has has already crossed many recial / cultural bariers. I have been following work by Dr Agea and his team of insectologists at Makerere University for a while.
I appeal to them to speed up their research on the domestication of nsenene, its rearing methods & associated technologies. Ugandans are ready to farm insects and the market seems to be ready to accept nsenene world-wide.