"King of the grasshopper" Liu Tao

"I can't be free this Spring Festival. I have to wait on these grasshoppers. They are all treasures!" New Year's Eve, Liu Tao of Cenbeiya Village, Shangye Town, Feixian County, told reporters. Liu Tao, 29, has seven years of working experience. Before returning to his hometown in August last year, he was the kitchen manager of a big hotel in Qingdao. Using the knowledge he learned during his part-time job, he went home to do farming and became a "grasshopper king."

In 2002, through skills training, Liu Tao became a cook. Three years ago, he came to Qingdao, started as a helper in a big hotel, and gradually became a kitchen supervisor, with a monthly income of more than 2500 yuan, becoming a "blue-collar" envied by many people. During his work, a customer who often came to the hotel to see off the grasshopper attracted Liu Tao's attention. He paid attention to dealing with this man and learned about the grasshopper's breeding technology and market situation. He felt that the project had a broad prospect. In the second half of last year, with the spread of the financial crisis, Liu Tao felt that the number of people coming to restaurants decreased significantly, and his income also plummeted. In August, he decided to go back to his hometown of Feixian to raise grasshoppers.

Liu Tao observed the grasshopper in the sunshade net shed. (source of data and pictures: Linyi Volkswagen)

Liu Tao is feeding grass to the grasshopper. (source of data and pictures: Linyi Volkswagen)

As soon as he told his father Liu Jingshi about this idea, he met with opposition. His father said, "I've never heard of the rarity of anyone raising a grasshopper to get rich. Besides, we don't know anything, so how can we raise it?" Liu Tao said: "grasshopper farming does not need to spray medicine, the food is mainly grass everywhere in the mountains here, in line with modern people's pursuit of healthy, green food, and technology can be learned." After repeated explanations, his father agreed that he should first try to build a breeding shed. In order to master the technology and find out the market situation, Liu Tao went to Qingdao and other places many times to learn about the market, find customers, and buy raw materials.

After a thorough investigation, his first grasshopper greenhouse was built in September. "the effect surprised everyone. For more than a month, the grasshopper in the first shed was all recycled by Qingdao customers at the price of 40 yuan per kilogram." Liu Tao said. Then, using the money he earned during his part-time work, he expanded the scale, built nine small sheds and four greenhouses, and planted a piece of turf for grasshopper feed, and really became the "grasshopper king." In a grasshopper greenhouse, Liu Tao showed off his grasshopper. "in winter, with little light and low temperature, grasshoppers grow slowly, so they are all very small, but the price is very expensive, up to 60 yuan per kilogram," he said. " Due to the shortage of supply, in a short period of four or five months, he has sold more than 600 kilograms of grasshoppers, of which more than 100 kilograms are sold abroad.

The news that Liu Tao had become rich by raising a grasshopper was quickly spread, and the villagers around him came to learn lessons, as did farmers from Jining and Tai'an. Liu Tao was so open-minded that he not only taught the technology, but also promised to recycle the grasshopper and help them sell. Talking about his future plans, Liu Tao believes that the market situation of grasshoppers will not be a big problem within three years, so he plans to continue to expand the scale through loans on the one hand, and on the other hand to develop some farmers around them to engage in grasshopper farming to help everyone get rich together. He told reporters: "the party committee and government are very concerned about me, a migrant worker returning home. Li Jijing, a cadre in the town, sent condolence money and promised to help coordinate the land and funds needed to expand the scale. Especially now that the country attaches unprecedented importance to rural areas, I think I can also do something in rural areas. "