TOKYO: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp, a Japanese telecommunication services company, has partnered with a farming startup to raise crickets as a food source, NHK World reported.
The Japanese telecom firm sees this as a new business to combat potential issues feeding the world’s growing population.
The telecom company and the specialized farming start-ups have launched a pilot farm near Tokyo to optimize raising insects as a food source.
Crickets are said to be highly nutritious and affordable, which is why people eat them in many parts of the world.
According to the NHK World report, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp (NTT East) plans to use its IT expertise to maximize the efficiency of large-scale production of such grasshopper-like insects.
Going ahead, it aims to commercialize the project and provide the model to other companies. The firm believes its food businesses could pull in tens of millions of dollars in five years.
Besides, the telecom firm is already engaged in red salmon farming, the report said. (ANI)