Edible insects value chain in Cross River State, Nigeria"

A survey work on the benefits of entomophagous insects was carried out in four Local Government Areas of Central Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria to assess the most preferred and most consumed edible insect species. Three communities were selected from each Local Government Area. Three hundred and twenty (320) structured questionnaires were administered to the selected sampling population. The data were processed and subjected to statistical analysis such as descriptive and percentages as well analysis of variance. The result showed that insects consumed (bug, beetle, termite, bee, caterpillar, grasshopper and cricket) cut across the following Orders: Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Isoptera, Lepidotera, Hemiptera and Diptera. The Order Coleoptera had the highest number of species followed closely by the Orders Isoptera and Orthoptera. The insects were harvested/collected by the consumers from the wild at different periods of the year and prepared for consumption either by boiling, frying, roasting or sun drying while some were consumed raw. Rural dwellers majorly children are the major consumers of edible insects. These insects form an integral part of the diet of the people of the Central Part of the State. Keywords : Entomophagy, rural dwellers, Cross River, Local Government Area