This Uni Student Earns Over RM28,000 A Month By Farming Cockroaches
He began breeding the insects over a year ago in his apartment.
By John Lim — 07 Aug 2017, 01:35 PM
Did you know one of the most hated insects in the world can actually help you earn good money?
We're talking about cockroaches, of course.
Just ask Tong, a 20-year-old Taiwanese university student who's making around 200,000 TWD (RM28,353) monthly by breeding and selling cockroaches!
China Press reported that the fresh-faced Tong operates a cockroach farm, where it stores about 2.7 million reddish-brown insects (try picturing that).
Tong began breeding the cockroaches in his apartment over a year ago after finding them difficult to source to feed his pet
They started to multiply at an alarming rate. In six months he had 30,000 to 40,000 cockroaches in his apartment.
Thankfully, Tong found a buyer by the name of Tse who was willing to take all the cockroaches off his hands. They continued to work together with Tong managing the farm.
Tong admitted that it took him some time to overcome the fear of cockroaches. He even had nightmares about the insects.
While Tong eventually got over his fear, he still had to deal with judgemental stares from his uni peers.
Most people were disgusted upon learning what Tong does. In fact, some even refused to shake his hand!
However, that didn't stop Tong from explaining the concept of cockroach farming to his friends. He even invited some of them for a tour of his farm.
Today, he cares for the cockroaches, of different species in his farm, where he personally feeds them, and builds them shelters
Tong emphasised that his cockroaches are clean and well-kept and there was nothing to be afraid of.
In recent times, China and Taiwan have witnessed an emergence in cockroach farms
There are about 100 farms in China alone and the largest producer has an estimated 10 million insects in six farms.
Cosmetics companies and traditional Chinese medicine manufacturers buy the insects for their protein and cellulose. Farmers also promote them as feed for fish and traditional livestock, and as tasty treats for people.