Nigeria's US$1bn insect-based animal feed food manufacturing

Manufacturing Africa, a programme funded by UK Aid which supports Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, has announced that insect-based animal feed could create a US$1.2bn opportunity for Nigeria by 2030.

Insect-based animal feed manufacturing

With the global population expected to surpass nine billion by 2050, food production will need to increase by 70% to meet this demand. In Nigeria, the population is growing 3% each year and currently stands at 213m, yet 44% of Nigeria’s population lives in moderate-to-severe food insecurity.

However, with more people, there is a need for more housing, schools, hospitals and infrastructure, leaving less land suitable for animal agriculture. Feeding farm animals grain requires land and water to be grown, which could instead, be fed to humans. 

One solution to this is to use insects instead of grain to feed farm animals. Locusts, crickets, mealworm larvae and black soldier fly larvae are suitable alternative feed for farm animals. 

According to the study, the Nigerian climate is ideal for the production of insect-based animal feed, as black soldier fly larvae enjoy temperatures between 24-30°C, experienced in Nigeria.

In addition, insect-based feed manufacturing is low-skill, low-cost labour which can be taught quickly and widely. 

Despite the presence of food insecurity in Nigeria, it is estimated that up to 38m tonnes of food is wasted each year. Black soldier fly larvae can be fed on food waste from restaurants, markets and farmers. 

However, there are some challenges to insect-based animal feed manufacturing: 

• Currently, Nigeria has a limited waste collection process, which would need to improve to feed black soldier flies
• This food manufacturing style would need to gain mainstream recognition and as a fairly new idea, would need to address consumer concerns
• There are no present government policies for insect-based feed manufacturing, which could support waste collection and recognition. 

Food manufacturing sector supports pest control market 

Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of animals on the planet and despite their potential as animal-feed, that doesn’t mean the food manufacturing sector is welcoming of all insects. 

Market research company The Brainy Insights has published a report showing that the global pest control market is expected to grow from US$15bn to US$25bn by 2030, with the food manufacturing and hospitality sectors leading the charge. 

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