India - Emu Farming Takes Off in Favourable Climate of Gujarat

Bird able to adjust well with climate in arid regions of State; reason for thriving business is increasing demand for bird’s meat, oil and eggs.

Far from its native habitat in Australia, the flightless emu is leaving its footprint across the plains of India, with an increasing number of farmers commercially rearing the ostrich-size bird.

From a single farm in 1996, there are today 900 emu farms in 14 states, with a majority of them in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, Bhadresh L Mehta, founder of the Emu Farmers Association, said.

Mehta, who is based in Pune, said he plans to expand his business to Gujarat and Rajasthan. “Emus are tough and sturdy and are used to extreme climates as they come from the open country of Australia,” he said.

The country’s first commercial emu farm was started in1996 by an NRI named Mutiyala but it soon closed down.

Mutiyala left for the US within months of starting his project because of the poor response.

The reason for the growth of emu farms today is the increasing demand for the bird’s meat and oil, which is believed to have medicinal properties, especially for treating joint pains, Mehta said.

The 1.5-metre high birds, which weigh approximately 60 kg, would have no problem adjusting to the arid regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan, he pointed out. Though the emu’s meat and oil are very expensive, setting up a farm is not a costly proposition, said Jignesh B Sethia, owner of Pioneer emu Management and Products.

“I incurred an expense of Rs 8 lakh to set up an emu farm at Dhano in Vapi, which has 100 birds. An emu farm requires relatively less manpower and cost but the returns are very high,” he said. All one needs, Sethia said, is an enclosure for the birds, which feed on fruits, seeds, plants, insects and other small organisms.

Emu farming can be an alternative source of income for poor farmers who own small tracts of land and for poultry farm owners as an extension to their existing business, Sethia said. The returns start coming in after two years of setting up a farm. The emerald green eggs of the bird fetch about Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 in the market, Sethia said.

About 98 per cent of emu meat is fat-free and the cost of one kg is about Rs 360. One litre of emu oil goes for about Rs 5,000, he said. About 10 litres of oil can be extracted from one bird. Mehta said there are about 85,000 emus in 900 farms across the country today.

The army is also showing interest in breeding emus and has started a pilot project in Uttar Pradesh for which the Emu Farmers Association supplied 21 birds, he said.