Assam poultry owners prefer breeding lucrative emus

Guwahati, Nov 6 (ANI): Emu farming has made its entry in a big way in Assam as it promises a long-term return as compared to the initial investment.

Pankaj Kumar Gupta, owner of an emu farm said that he believes these gigantic birds from Down Under are more lucrative and this farming, although quite a new concept in India, is here to stay and has a good scope of development.

"Emu birds farming is basically just like poultry. The way we look after a poultry, cattle farming or goat farming, it is a similar kind of farming which is flourishing in India," he added.

Joyanto Goswami, an emu breeder, said that though the investment put into the business is high but it pays back in long run.

"Investment in this (emu farming) is bit high but it is a one time investment. The investment is on basis of per pair, which costs almost 50 thousand to reach Assam. But the return in comparison to the investment is very high and pays up to 25 or 30 years," he added.

Egg of an emu bird, which is mostly used as an decorative item costs around rupees 2000, beside that oil extracted from its fat fetch approximately rupees 5000 to 7000 in India and 20,000 to 25,000 in the international market.

Live Stock Research and Trading Private Limited claims to be the pioneer to introduce emu farming in the North East, by establishing the first farm in the outskirts of Guwahati.

Emu chicks cost more than rupees1,000 and bigger birds cost rupees 6,000 to 8,000 depending upon their weight. The birds lay eggs every three days in winter.

Areas where water is available in abundance are the best places for emu farming, which is not labour-intensive. The birds are practically immune to disease. (ANI)