People in Ia Tiem commune collect cicada corpses to sell for extra income.

These days, along some inter-commune roads in Ia Tiem commune (Chu Se district), people can easily see signs buying cicada corpses. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet (Nu village, Ia Tiem commune, Chu Se district) - the owner of the cicada corpse buyer said: "For about 2 years now, every March, traders come to the locality to buy cicada corpses. Seeing the opportunity to increase income, many households in the commune have taken the opportunity to collect cicada corpses to sell. I and some other households buy them from the people to sell to traders."

Ms. Nguyet added: “Last year, at the beginning of the season, I bought at about 1.5 million VND/kg. This year, the price is higher, I am buying at 2 million VND/kg. On average, every 2-3 days, I collect about 10-20kg brought by people to sell. When there are enough goods, traders will come to get them for the next purchase.”

Although collecting cicada corpses is hard work, it is becoming a significant source of income for many local households. **Photo: Ngoc Duy**

Mr. Rah Lan Huin (Hlu village, Ia Tiem commune, Chu Se district) said: “For the past two years, every March, I have started wandering around the coffee and rubber plantations in the commune to collect cicada corpses. The work is simple but extremely hard, each tree has only a few cicadas, I have to bend down and walk for hours in the hot sun to collect a decent amount. However, the income is also significant, enough to compensate for some of the effort.”

“Last year, I collected more than 6kg of cicada corpses and sold them for over VND8 million. This year, despite the erratic weather and not many cicadas, I still take advantage of my free time to collect them to earn extra income to cover my living expenses. Recently, I collected 1kg and sold it for over VND1.5 million,” Huin added.

Ms. Kpa Thup (Nu village, Ia Tiem commune, Chu Se district) shared: “My husband and I work on the fields all year round, and our income mainly depends on the crops. In recent years, when we learned that cicada corpses were purchased by traders at high prices, we started taking advantage of our free time to collect cicadas to sell. At first, we just thought it was for fun, but unexpectedly, the income from this job is quite good. Although the job is a bit tiring because we have to wake up early and go through coffee and rubber gardens to find cicada corpses, I gradually became interested in it. Last year, I collected a large amount and sold it for a decent amount of money. This year, the purchase price is even higher, so I am even more diligent. After only 3 days of collecting, my husband and I collected 2.2 kg, earning 4.4 million VND.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet happily bought cicada corpses from Ms. Kpa Thup (right cover, Nu village, Ia Tiem commune) after many days of collecting them. **Photo: Ngoc Duy**

In recent days, Ms. Kpa Blim (Nú village, Ia Tiêm commune, Chư Sê district) has also taken the opportunity to collect cicada corpses to sell. Ms. Blim shared: This job is simple but quite hard, especially when you have to concentrate for a long time. Sometimes I feel dizzy and tired because I have to look closely at each tree and each field edge to find cicada corpses. “I go with my sister to collect them, and I get about 0.5kg each day. I usually save them for 5-6 days before bringing them to the collection point to sell at once for convenience. Although the amount of money I earn is not too much, it helps my family cover living expenses and improve our lives,” Ms. Blim confided.

People are excited that cicadas are selling well this year. **Photo: Ngoc Duy**

Talking to reporters, Mr. Tran Van Ban - Chairman of Ia Tiem Commune People's Committee informed: "In the past, the locality has received information about people searching for and buying cicada corpses. The purchase of cicada corpses in the commune started 2 years ago. Every March, the beginning of the dry season, people flock to collect cicada corpses to sell. Although this does not affect the local security and order situation and the environment, there is a situation where students skip school to go find and collect cicadas. Therefore, the commune has directed schools to propagate for students to focus on going to school, not to affect their studies."