The hurly burly of the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) road suddenly disappears as if by magic and an endless stretch of greenery begins. A flock of ostriches running hither and thither takes you to another world.
The ostrich farming experiment at the Post Graduate Research Institute in Animal Sciences of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Kattupakkam offers clear answers to the many unanswered questions to the failure of emu farming in the state.
“When it comes to ostrich and emu, you cannot rear them just for meat and egg. They have a market potential and every part of these birds can be converted into a commercial value added product,” said C. Pandian, Assistant Professor of the research institute, who has done his doctoral thesis on the bird.
The research centre imported 100 South African birds in 2000 from Malaysia and they have adapted themselves to the Indian conditions. It has a modern hatchery.
Even though scientists at the centre had made many achievements in ostrich farming, including semen collection and artificial insemination, farming so far has not been converted into full-fledged commercial activity.
“We are selling the birds to zoos across the country. The birds offer high quality leather. Recently, we have started producing leather goods using the skin of the bird and the processing is done by the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI). Stitching is done outside,” said V. Ramesh Saravanakumar, director of the institute.
The institute slaughters a bird once a month and the meat is sold for Rs. 200 per kg. It also sells unfertilized eggs for cooking purposes and one egg costs Rs. 150. Empty egg shells are used for decorative purposes and feathers are used for making dolls and brushes for cleaning computer peripherals.
Medicinal value
“Molecules in the oil extracted from the fat of the bird are found to have anti-inflammatory analgesic properties and it is used to treat joint pain, arthritis and skin disorders,” said Mr. Pandian.
