OSTRICH farming is becoming popular in the country, as more and more investors are entering the promising market of low-fat, “organic” red meat.

Although alien to the local environment, the ostrich is fast becoming popular for farming in Punjab, where it has been declared a part of livestock and can be raised by farmers and citizens without need for a licence.

Two years ago, the number of ostrich farmers in the country was around 70. The number has now crossed the mark of 200 just in Punjab. At least 160 farmers rearing 6,500 birds have so far been registered during the ongoing year while 52 farmers bringing up 3,500 ostriches were registered the previous year, says Dr Atif Rai of the livestock department.

Commercial ostrich farming began in South Africa more than 150 years ago, mostly for its feathers and hide. It has now spread to around 100 countries across the globe. Its farming is being done with official support in some countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel and some African countries.

The number of ostrich farmers has now crossed 200 just in Punjab compared to 70 in the entire country two years ago

The Food and Agriculture Organisation says ostrich is the bird for the next millennium that may help ensure food and protein security in the globe, particularly in the Muslim world where pork is not consumed. However, Pakistan is slowly waking up to the ostrich potential, and the bird is still considered a wild species except in Punjab.

An official of the Pakistan Ostrich Company says it has been working in Sindh, particularly in Karachi, for the last many years with poor results mainly because of law or order situation and disinterest of the provincial authorities.

But within four months of the launch of the Punjab Ostrich Development Project in 2016, 85 new farms of the bird have been established, and for the first time the availability of birds for marketing ostrich meat became possible, he says.

Punjab Livestock Secretary Naseem Sadiq says farmers responded positively when the government offered Rs10,000 per bird on an annual basis to those registered with the department. The subsidy is available to a farmer who rears between 25 and 100 birds, he says.

In fact, lack of market had been another major hurdle in promoting ostrich farming in the past, he says. Keeping this in view, the department is making arrangements for marketing meat through launching awareness drives and setting up stalls at various exhibitions throughout the province.

“We’ve so far set up nine outlets of ostrich meat and brought 17 hotels into the meat supply chain in Punjab,” he adds. These outlets are functioning in Lahore, Faisalabad, Okara, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Rawalpindi.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd has given an additional push to the efforts by offering Rs2 million loan per applicant for setting up “farm of the future”, as ostrich farming is often called, an official of the bank reveals.

Hinting at the vast potential of ostrich farming, Mr Sadiq by points out that around 25,000 poultry sheds are lying vacant in the province which may be useful in rearing the large bird, while lucerne (fodder), the major component of its feed, is easily and cheaply available all over Punjab.

At present, ostrich chicks are imported, which are not only expensive but they also take time in acclimatising to the local atmosphere. Therefore, the Punjab government has also taken the initiative of introducing local breeding of the bird.

As a financial incentive, local breeders with ostriches up to the age of 2.5 years are being offered an annual subsidy of Rs10,000 per bird. Dr Rai of the livestock department says it has so far registered 13 breeders rearing 400 birds during the last two months. He believes that the number of birds will reach up to 1,000 by the end of this month.

Terming it the future bird for its being climate-friendly, Dr Nasir Mukhtar of the Ostrich Research and Development Institute at Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, says an ostrich generates just 17kg of methane gas per year while a buffalo or cow produces 73kg per year methane, a factor behind climate change.

Meeran Ali, an ostrich farmer, tells Dawn that the biggest issue being faced by them is the import of high-quality chicks. As the Punjab government is offering subsidy on farming, the federal government is proving to be counterproductive by imposed general sales tax and income tax on them, he laments. He says there should be at least five-year duty exemption for the sector to grow at a reasonable pace and be able to earn foreign exchange through exports of ostrich feathers and hide.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, April 2nd, 2018