29 June 2010, 22:00
Astrakhan governor proposes to do business on grasshoppers
Astrakhan oblast governor Alexander Zhilkin has moved an idea to make grasshoppers, which inflicted serious damage on southern Russia regions, a good business.
The "Caucasian Knot" reported earlier that, due to mass attacks of grasshoppers, agricultural plants in a number of Russian regions were under threat. The situation became difficult in Kalmykia, Volgograd, Astrakhan and Rostov oblasts, as well as in Ingushetia and Dagestan.
Meanwhile, in the opinion of the Astrakhan governor, one should look for ways not only for fighting grasshoppers but also for making profits on this agricultural calamity. For instance, one could start business on collecting grasshoppers.
"I have looked at how many millions we annually spend on fighting grasshoppers and I thought, why not make it a profitable business (scores of countries in the world eat grasshoppers)?" writes the Astrakhan governor in his blog.
In particular, Zhilkin proposes "to dry, salt, freeze and export" grasshoppers or provide such products to Thai and Chinese restaurants in St-Petersburg and Moscow.
The proposal of the region leader has caused a lively discussion. Part of the blog readers make skeptical comments, others consider it rational and support it.
Hoday, one of the participants in the discussion, made a proposal to sell grasshoppers to tourists as bait for catching catfish.
