Emu rearing picks up in Punjab

Haripur Phull (Nurpur Bedi) : Australia’s national bird — Emu — is all set to reap rich dividends for the farmers of Punjab. Two major Emu rearing farms have come up in Haripur Phull village in Nurpur Bedi and Hoshiarpur. With multiple returns offered by emus in the form of meat, oil, skin, feathers and colourful eggs, their rearing is being considered a boon for marginal and small farmers. “Agriculture is no more a profit making venture. Need of the hour is to help these farmers come up with alternatives like emu farming that has shown excellent results in state like Andhra Pradesh,” says Jitenderjit Singh Grewal, who is rearing 38 birds at his farm house in Haripur Phull. Grewal bought 80 birds from Vijaywada at Rs 5,000 per chick. Unlike poultry or dairy business, emu farming is not labour intensive and neither requires high input cost. Emus are fed on usual poultry diet and left over vegetables and fruits.

“In Vijaywada, every second farmer rears emu on small scale. It is best suited for these farmers as besides fetching price, it requires no major inputs,” says Grewal, adding that while states like Andhra Pradesh get capital assistance from NABARD for its emu farmers, the Punjab government is not well aware of the programme. “NABARD offers 50 per cent interest-free subsidy on emu rearing. If the same scheme is extended to Punjab, many farmers can be pulled out of the distressed vocation farming has become,” he opines.

Due to low cholesterol content, emu’s meat is recommended to the heart patients and costs more than Rs 500 per kg. Also, an emu yields 4-5liters of lil with each litre priced at Rs 5,000. Besides meat and oil, emu’s colourful eggs, nails and feathers too are used for different commercial purposes. With a life span of 35 years, emus mature at 18 months and lay eggs from October to March every year. Grewal does not plan to go ahead with the butchery, but instead wants to open up a hatchery. “Hatchery will mean easy business for the small farmers, who cannot afford to lose even a single egg that costs about Rs 2,000 in market. Emu rearing at Punjab is far from a commercial venture unless and until we do not start it’s breeding,” observes Grewal.