The Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Institute is planning to conduct research on farming Dybowski’s brown frogs. (image: Korean Natural History Research Information System)
SUWON, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Institute is set to develop frog-rearing technologies for food purposes, according to an institute statement on May 17.
The institute is planning to conduct research on farming Dybowski’s brown frogs, which are popular among people who look for special, alternative medicine-like foods.
Only reared frogs can be purchased from farms authorized by the Ministry of Environment, and 1 kg of, or 30~40 Dybowski’s brown frogs usually sells for more than 100,000 won (US$ 92).
However, farming Dybowski’s brown frogs is not easy, as it is costly due to having to provide live crickets for two years and risky due to the high potential for disease among frogs in farms.
Due to these difficulties, some cases of illegal poaching of Dybowski’s brown frogs has been reported.
The exact size of the frog farming industry is also unknown, although there are 170 to 180 farms in Korea which rear frogs for food.
To solve these issues, the institute started research with Kangwon National University and Shinhan University last month. The institute is planning to apply such technologies to farms in 2017.
A team led by professor Park Dae-Shik at Kangwon Univ. and a team led by professor Kim Young-Sung at Shinhan Univ. will develop disease control measures and food-processing measures respectively.
By J. W. Choi (summerchoi@koreabizwire.com)
