JINAN, CHINA // Wang Fuming, a 43-year-old from China’s eastern province of Shandong, calls himself a farmer, but he tills no fields and when it comes to slaughtering his herd, all he needs is a vacuum cleaner and a vat of boiling water.
Indeed, some might call Mr Wang mad for doing what he does, or a pest, though that moniker would be best saved for his “livestock” -- all 15 million of them.
Mr Wang rears cockroaches, the Periplaneta americana to be precise, and, it is making him rather rich.
“I make over a million yuan (Dh605,000) a year and we expect to quadruple our output this year, ” says Mr Wang, a softly-spoken man who seems as if he can’t quite believe his luck.
“The next step is to move up the value chain.”
In this case, “the value chain” is the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, which, in recent years, has begun incorporating crushed-up cockroaches into its remedies as other exotic ingredients have become harder to get hold of.
Products that are currently available include lotions for burns and tablets for liver disease, but those promoting the cockroach as a medical ingredient claim these ancient creatures have the ability to cure everything from baldness, to hangovers, to HIV/Aids.
“We don’t exactly know what makes the cockroaches so powerful, but we think, because of how it lives and feeds, it has strong anti-bacterial properties,” says Liu Yusheng an entomologist at Shandong’s Agricultural University and head of the Shandong Insect Grower association.
Mr Wang, however, thinks their potency is derived from their amazing ability to survive. The cockroach first appeared some 350 million years ago and has survived all subsequent mass extinctions. The insects are also known to be able to tolerate high levels of radiation, and survive up to a month without food or 40 minutes without air.
“The cockroach is a living fossil,” says Mr Wang. “Its power is connected to this.”
For this reason, he also eats the roaches – fried in oil and chilli – and also feeds them to his pet dog.
But Mr Wang concedes that it might take a while to bring the general public round to his way of thinking, even though Chinese cooking and traditional medicines often involves ingredients such as chicken feet, deer penis, bear bile and toad secretions.
Public pressure to abandon some of these components because of environmental or humanitarian concerns, including a campaign launched last week by Britain’s royal family calling for an end to illegal wildlife trade, is forcing medical companies to elsewhere look for ingredients.
Hence the boom in cockroach farming.
Numbers are hard to come by because the industry is still unregulated, but Mr Wang alone has helped 30 other farmers set up shop in recent years.
He and Mr Liu’s biggest fear is that some kind of scare or scandal might force the government to crack down on their business.
There was already one minor incident last year, when some 1.5 million roaches escaped from a farm in the eastern province of Jiangsu.
In that case the farmer had been raising the cockroaches in an illegal structure that was bulldozed while he went out for his lunch. He came back to find them crawling around in the rubble and had to call the local authorities to exterminate them.
Mr Wang is careful to make sure he loses none of his precious “herd”. He has a licence to breed bugs and the doors and windows of the long concrete shed where he raises his insects are covered in zip-able mesh, which must be closed at all times.
“They are group animals. If one cockroach finds a way there is a possibility they might all leave” he says.
That would be a disaster for Mr Wang who sells his roaches at 120 yuan a kilo. That’s more than the price of meat or fruit at most Chinese markets.
Each year he raises about 40 million roaches. It takes about five months for an adult to mature and each adult female produces about 15 young.
Once the eggs have been produced, the nymphs can be raised separately, meaning Mr Wang can move in with his vacuum cleaner and suck the adults out.
He then empties the writhing bag into a bucket of boiling water and leaves the bodies to dry in the sun.
He feels no repulsion at the sight or touch of the cockroaches and insists that the American Cockroach, with a shiny chestnut hue and a long slim frame, is far superior to its Asian or Oriental cousins.
But then Mr Wang has spent his life with insects, first, as a boy when he would catch flat black beetles to Chinese apothecaries and later when he began raising the beetles himself.
It was when roaches moved into his beetle farm and began eating their food that Mr Wang decided simply to raise roaches instead.
“One of the companies I was selling beetles to asked where they could buy roaches, so I switched,” he said. “I didn’t even have to buy the eggs.”
His overheads are minimal: the rent of his shed, electricity to run heaters in the winter – the roaches need a constant temperature of about to 30°C to grow quickly – and the fresh vegetables he grinds into pulp for them every day.
His main concern is to make sure the cockroaches are raised in a clean environment, he says, so he has constructed floor-to-ceiling shelves, each divided into four sections. Every section is home to a nest – a collection of corrugated concrete tiles bolted together at inch-wide intervals.
At first glance the shed, which is kept dark, is empty, but when Mr Wang spreads the food on the shelves below the nests, millions of pairs of antennae begin to appear from between the tiles.
A few minutes later it seems as all 15 million cockroaches are out, shovelling bits of cabbage, turnip and carrot into their mandibles.
The noise of them eating is audible and the stench of their droppings is rancid, but somehow, en masse and in their own environment, they do not make one’s skin crawl as much as a single startled cockroach in a kitchen or the bathroom does.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.