Emu farming catching on in Gujarat, 40 new farms in 2 years

After taking roots in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, the breeding of emu --a bird native of Australia -- is now fast catching on in Gujarat.

As many as 40 emu farms have sprung up across Mehsana, Surat, Palanpur, Vadodara and Kheda in the last couple of years, industry sources said.

But what is lacking is a production-linked-market.

"In the last six months, enquiry regarding the interest-subsidy scheme for emu farming has gained some momentum in Gujarat," said assistant general manager, NABARD, P Balachandran.

The bird's meat and oil (extracted from its fat) is in demand in many parts of the country, but emu farming is more popular in southern states.

"The market has virtually got saturated in the southern states, so people are venturing into emu farming in new states like Gujarat," another NABARD official said.

"Emu farming is an emerging industry in Gujarat. A pair of chicks fetches anything between Rs8,000 to 15,000 depending upon the size, while older ones sell for anything between Rs20,000 to 40,000," said Sumesh Singh, an owner of emu farm from Samartha, in Anand district.

"The bird is used mainly for two purposes: oil and meat. Crude oil derived from it is refined to extract Omega 6, 9 and 3 variants, which find applications in the cosmetic and soap industry, medicine and food items," he said.