Sistan-Baluchestan - The Agricultural Development Support Fund of the southwestern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, in collaboration with the Sistan Women’s Regional Fund, has launched a mealworm farming development project to support home-based businesses for rural women.

 

"Following a successful pilot in Shahrak-e Mir village, the first phase will expand to six new farms, producing dried mealworms and frass for the market. If successful, a second phase will involve more rural women," Mohammad Yadegarzay, the head of the Fund, said, according to a report by the official website of Agriculture Ministry. 

 

Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae) are highly nutritious and increasingly used as an alternative to soy in livestock, poultry, and pet feed, offering sustainable income opportunities for rural households, estimated at 10 million IRR per month per family, he added.