The value of infrastructure

I liked the title of this one: “Hopping Mad: Uganda Power Cuts Hit Grasshopper Harvest,” excerpt:

“Every evening I first pray for there to be power — and then I pray that the grasshoppers will come,” Turyamugumya told AFP.

Stripped of their wings and fried with onions, grasshoppers are a delicacy in Uganda’s central region — gobbled up by the handful and washed down with beer in bars around Kampala.

This time of year should be peak season for the insect catchers but Turyamugumya — who uses bright lights to attract the flying insects before disorientating them with smoke and trapping them in disused oil drums — says that business is tough.

“The problem has been power, it is on and off. Like last night, the whole night it was off,” Turyamugumya, 33, says.

From bakeries to beauticians to building firms, small businesses across Uganda have been struggling to cope with worsening power cuts in recent months.

…Power problems mean that the price he pays for grasshoppers at the market has gone up — and that means insect-loving bar-goers are having to pay more for the snacks. The price for the smallest bag has doubled to around $0.45 (34 euro cents).

For the pointer I thank Daniel Lippman.