Background of Research
The global insect market is growing year by year. In Japan, the pet insect market has been formed since the 1980s to develop the insect industry in a full scale. The growing insect market is for pollination insects in Europe, insects as natural enemies in Canada and the US, and edible insects in Asia, for example, China and Thailand.
Major countries in the world lay a focus on the value of insects for pollination and as natural enemies, following the attention paid to eco-friendly farming, and have grown the insect industry as a national strategic industry. Korea also has a great potential for the insect market for pollination and as natural enemies because of growing eco-friendly farming and protected facility farming. Another outlook is a great new potential for the insect sector for feed and insects as medicine connected to BT. Here, a very big spectrum is expected if consideration is taken even into education, environment, and biosystem study programs.
However, despite such a potential of the insect industry, the Korean insect industry is still at the beginning stage in that it is not recognized as an industry, and essential statistics and insect growing farmers registration BD are not well established. Therefore, there is a need of essential study for a strategy of examining the use of insects and developing the industry in mid- and long-term as well as a market outlook to grow the insect industry.

Methodology of Research
For this study, Korean and overseas literature and statistics data are used. The first step is to collect and analyze insect-related statistic data about legislation for supporting and fostering the insect industry, and programs for enforcing the insect industry support programs, examine the trend and related systems of the Korean insect industry, and review policies and programs related to the insect industry of other major countries.
The second step is to investigate subjects producing, using and consuming insects. The insect industry fact sheet by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is used as essential data to examine farmers who grow and sell insects. Supplementary examination was also carried out by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI). Farmers (buyers) who use insects for pollination and as natural enemies are also examined and analyzed. In addition, pet insect buyers from the consumer panel of KREI are also surveyed to examine their demand for insects as pets.
The last step is to examine and analyze the current situation of the insect industry and strategies to improve it on the basis of opinions of insect experts.
The strategy established through analysis of the current insect industry and researchers’ examination underwent verification in the advisory expert meeting and policy workshops. The advisory expert meeting and the policy workshops on the subject basis aim to define the mid- and long-term R&D direction of the insect industry, estimate market volume of each insect category, review policies and programs related to the insect industry, and establish improvement strategies.

Result of Research and Implications
The tendency for insect growers and buyers is shown that the proportion of insect growers (companies) for feed, food and environmental purification increases while the proportion of educational insect and pet insect growers (companies) decreases.
Main insect species for insect business include rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles. While the rhinoceros beetles account for 70% in 2012, but just 44.4% in 2015, the proportions of protaetia brevitarsis larvae, stag beetle larvae and T.molitor for food increase.
The outlook for the useful insect industry market in 2015 is that it will amount to approximately 303.9 to 319.3 B won in terms of its volume. The estimated use is divided into 4.94 B (billion) won for education, 37.2 to 49.6 B won for pets, 43.2 B won for pollination, 3 to 5 B won for natural enemies, 6 B won for food, 6 B won for feed, 2 to 3 B won for medicine, and 181.6 B won for local festive events. The future outlook in 2020 is that the volume of the insect industry market will amount to 536.3 to 558.2 B won which is approximately 1.7 times the current volume. In particular, it is expected that the insect market for feed, medicine and insect-based biomaterial development will especially grow fast.
Most natural enemy insects used by fruit and vegetable growers are to get rid of aphides, yellow tea thrips, grass gall midges, and white flies. Pollination insects demanded the most are honey bees and bumble bees. Most urban consumers who buy insects for education or as pets are parents who buy insects for their young elementary school children or preschoolers. Therefore, the analysis reveals that the demand will not significantly increase or decrease, but continue.
Examination of the biggest issues involved in producing insects reveals lack of expenses for facility investment and operation (29.1%), and difficulty in breeding and disease control technology (20.3%). Insect users as natural enemies and for pollination said uncertain quality and effect (33.3%), and high cost of buying the insects (22.2%). Urban consumers said issues of breeding and managing insects for education and as pets (81.8%). Examination of Korean laws and programs related to insects suggests the urgent enforcement of registration of insects as food, and improvement of programs related to enhancing recognition of insects as food. It also suggests government’s efficient support together with supplementary programs.
For fast growth of the insect industry, it is necessary to establish mid- and long-term programs for the insect industry still at its early stage for government’s continuing policy-making and R&D while defining explicit roles of insect-related subjects, and making efforts for attaining the established purposes.
It is essential that the policy direction for developing the insect industry is to focus on farmers who grow insects and those who grow crops in protected facilities (vegetables, fruits) by using insect resources (as natural enemies, for pollination) to increase their income in parallel. In addition, it is also necessary to consider increasing income of farmers who produce insects sold as pets, for education, feed and food, and satisfaction of customers who use the insects. It is also necessary to design a direction of the insect industry connected to the sixth industry of local government, for the interest of the public, including stable supply of food, supply of safe eco-friendly agricultural products, and environmental improvement.


Researchers: Kim Yeanjung, Han Hyesung, Park Younggu
Research Period: 2015. 1.～2015. 10.
E-mail address: yjkim@krei.re.kr