Flightless Emu is a losing business

With no takers for its meat and rising rearing cost, emu farm owners are slaughtering the birds and keeping them in cold storage. One can get 10 kg fat from each bird but there are no oil extracting units that has led to the downfall of the business

T P Venu

Last year Srinivas Raju of Vani Emu Farm, Kompally sold 1,500 birds. This year he has not been able to sell even a single bird. With Rs 2 lakh loss per month and 300 birds to feed, Srinivas is a worried man. The sudden slump in the market has left many like him in the lurch. In the last 12 months, more than 150 emu farms have closed down in and around Hyderabad.

Touted as a golden goose, emu, the flightless bird from Australia made its way into the region ten years ago. Several investors made a bee-line to buy three month old birds for Rs 7,000 each, but today there are no buyers. So much so that many owners are abandoning the birds in the wild and fleeing.

Two years ago there were approximately 350 emu farms in the outskirts of Hyderabad, today the number has fallen to just about 60 and most of them are slowing winding their business. Many are cutting the birds and putting them in cold storage unable to provide feed. For instance, Vamsi Krishna of Sai Emu Farm, Rampally village in the outskirts says, “Last month we had 400 birds, today we have 50 and are in the process of winding up as there is no demand.”

Emu has all the qualities to be a hit- the meat is cholesterol free; the oil is sought after by pharmaceutical companies, its feathers and skin are valuable and it lays 20-50 eggs per year. So why has emu farming not taken off in Hyderabad? “Lack of marketing, subsidy, awareness, research and development in extracting oil are reasons for emu farming not taking off,” says Suresh of Krishna Emu Farm.

Vamsi Krishna says, “Until last year we got Rs 2,000 per litre of oil. Today no one is willing to pay even Rs 500.” The meat, though tasty and has health benefits, has not caught the fancy of people. A kilo of emu meat is sold for Rs 300 but has no takers. Praveen, a mutton and chicken shop owner says, “We did try to promote emu meat but people are used to mutton and chicken and are unwilling to try. It is an ugly looking bird and that puts off people.”

With no takers for its meat and rising rearing cost, emu farm owners are slaughtering the birds and keeping them in cold storage. One can get 10 kg fat from each bird but there are no oil extracting units that has led to the downfall of the business.

The emu bubble burst first hit Maharashtra and then Karnataka and Kerala were affected. Andhra Pradesh is now reeling under the slump and about 350 investors in areas such as Shameerpet, Patancheru, Kompally, Shamshabad and Uppal have been affected.