Dr Kondwani Kayira told Zodiak at Chichiri trade fair grounds in Blantyre on Wednesday that maggot or black soldier fly farming is a simplest alternative for farmers to feed chickens and livestock amid complaints of exorbitant costs of the commercial feed.
“We are doing insect farming, black soldier fly or maggot farming. We started with 100 grams of maggots or black soldier variety, all insects including flies have almost the similar cycle, but the duration in the cycle is different depending on the species,” said Dr Kayira.
He added that the black soldier fly is unique for it is very docile and it does not cause any disease, for it has no mouth to feed on the waste though it has a strong sense of smell.
“When it wants to lay eggs it will lay eggs near the waste where its offspring will get food like all insects and for us, the whole essence is to harvest the maggots and feed poultry and other livestock.
“Why do we need the maggots, the maggots eat everything, you can give them any waste, leftovers from the house, gardens, restaurants among others and convert them into usable proteins of as higher as between 40 to 70 percent, fat content of 30 percent, calcium and other vitamins and minerals, all those with essential elements that you need for a growing animal,” explained he.
Dr Kayira added they are now selling the maggots to various farmers to rear them and feed their chickens and others saying last year alone, he generated K5 million from maggot sales.
This comes when during the opening of the fair, president Lazarus Chakwera emphasized the significance of productivity in job creation, wealth generation and food security for the country.
This year’s just ended 33rd trade fair was conducted under the theme ‘Rebalancing Malawi’s Trade through Industrialization that ran from 17th to 26th May, 2023 with the aim to enhance domestic business and connect Malawian businesses to international investors and markets.
