khmer sources

Cricket season in Kompong Thom begins in May and lasts for four hot and humid months.
In countries like China and Japan crickets are as often kept as musical pets, but in Cambodia and Thailand their value is very different. Whole, deep fried crickets are a favorite snack for many Khmer, and to many they are considered a culinary delicacy.

It is not uncommon to see the cooked insects piled high in open containers in the markets of the central province of Kompong Thom. The province is said to be the biggest supplier of the insects to Cambodian connoisseurs, though there is no data available on the volume of crickets that are caught or exported because statistical recording is new to the kingdom and the government does not consider the cricket to be a tradable item. However, comments from those who are engaged in the trade indicate its contribution to an informal economy is significant.

These tasty insects, which make a cheerful chirping noise by rubbing part of their forewings together, come out of their hole-in-the-ground habitat when attracted by night light. But local catchers have discovered that crickets find ultraviolet light even more attractive. Professional catchers hang a plastic sheet in the flight path of the cricket. Drawn in by the ultraviolet light, the insect is blinded at close range, crashes and falls into buckets of water placed below.

(roup1)"The more lights we use the bigger the catch," says Duong Dararith, a teacher in Kompong Rotes village in the Stung Sen district. Duong Dararith moonlights as a cricket catcher and he catches approximately 80 kg each night.
Sok Soeun, a 48 year-old villager who lives in Kdei village in the Prey Tahu commune of Stung Sen district, usually makes her living selling produce at the provincial market. During the cricket season she temporarily changes professions, becoming a cricket dealer.

On a normal day Soeun ships 200 to 300 kilos of crickets but on a good day she may ship a ton to Phnom Penh. How much she ships depends on the skill of the village catcher.

Last year Sok Souen sold 10 tons of crickets, many of which went to a wholesaler in Phnom Penh. The others were sold to a wholesaler in Poipet who re-sold them to buyers in Thailand. "These days customers pay the most in Phnom Penh," Sok Soeun said. Before she offers the villagers their bounty she negotiates a selling price with her wholesalers by phone. During a bad season, when supply does not meet demand, she charges higher prices and waits for the middlemen to come to her business to inspect and buy her crickets.

Ou, aged 40, also of Kompong Rotes village, is a fisherman who sells his catch to a Poipet wholesaler for onward transmission to Thailand. Aready owning all the necessary equipment needed for shipping fish, including refrigeration and necessary packing materials, he saw an opportunity to supplement his income during the low season.

Ou ventured into the cricket business, packing them in small bags, freezer-ready to be shipped to the border at Poipet. As soon as the shipments arrive in Poipet, they are lapped up. According to Ou, last year there was increased competition coming from other provinces and as a result the prices dropped.

The wholesale price in Cambodia is between 2000 and 3000 riel (50 - 70 cents) per kilogram, but at the final point of sale it can be sold for ten times that amount. A small bag of fifty deep-fried crickets can sell for $1 at the market in Phnom Penh.