A retired professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture says that insects will become an important source of protein with rising food prices and shortage of food supply.

Prof. Jun Mihashi said as world population continues to rise, insects will become an important source of protein in the near future. ''The amount of food, including meat, will decrease. Insects with high protein and high fat should be used effectively,'' he told the Kyodo News Agency.

Mihashi attended the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Thailand last February wherein some 50 agriculturists from over 10 countries chose the 10 best edible insects in the Asia-Pacific region. Among those included in the list are bamboo caterpillars, crickets, locusts and fly larva.

Insects were once considered staple in Asian diet especially in Thailand, China and Japan. However, insects disappeared from most menus with the entry of processed foods in the market.

U.N. warns of a shortage of grains as the global population nears 9.2 billion in 2050.