Grasshopper hunting, lucrative source of income in NW

By Nange Mbehni

It is that season of the year when the green grasshopper commonly referred to as “mungwuin”, a delicious delicacy, cherished by some and eaten by many, hops in the grass fields.

The insect serves as food for some homes and to some, catching and selling the grasshopper is another way income is earned to finance the daily activities of the home.

Frida is a resident of Bamenda and expresses with joy the arrival of the seasonal insect:

“I am happy that mungwuin has finally arrived. On my child’s way back from school, she caught a few of them and came home to show me. That same night, we went out to catch.”
Around Bambili are sheets of zinc tilted towards big drums with brightly shining bulbs which attract these edible insects at night.

While some students resident in Bambili catch it for home consumption, others catch it to sell and purchase some of their school needs.

Brenda is a student resident in Bambili:

“When I catch mungwuin I either sell fresh and uncooked or I boil, fry, parcel in containers and plastics and sell. The money I got from last season’s catch was enough to pay my fees and also buy some foodstuff for my home because I cannot always depend on my parents. As compared to last season, it has not fallen as much as before probably because the rains have not fully gone away but from the weather, it shows there is going to be a great catch this year.”

At evening hours, people can be seen rushing with their buckets and containers to target points with bright bulbs to catch.

“I have a bucket I have dedicated to catching mungwuin every evening,” a student in Bambili says.

In the grassfields, a bucket of fresh uncooked grasshopper was sold at FCFA10,000 last year. This year, the insect is yet to ‘fall’ in huge quantities. It serves as a source of protein and is eaten in almost every home across the grasslands.