After venturing into rearing of Japanese quails (locally called Kamju Pitta) more than one and a half years ago, K Nagendra Babu, a 31-year-old post-graduate in pharmacy, of Peruvancha village in Kallur mandal, earned a niche for himself in successfully running his quail farm against odds by adopting prudent marketing strategies.
Converting the odds into opportunities, he surmounted several challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown period and thereafter to sustain his enterprise with a great deal of determination and focussed approach.
He capitalised on the rising awareness about the protein-rich food particularly in these times of the pandemic by marketing meat and eggs of Japanese quails by highlighting their nutritive and appetising values.
Nagendra had quit his medical representative job in 2019 and took up Japanese quail rearing as an avocation at his farm in his native village to support his family.
“I developed interest in this avocation after watching a few videos of success stories on YouTube during my stay at my native place after resigning my job due to a recurring back pain,” said Nagendra.
“I started the Japanese quail farm with little investment over one and a half years ago at our farm in the village. I followed the prescribed methods in hatching the eggs, feeding and rearing the birds that eventually made the farm popular in the erstwhile undivided Khammam district as well as various mandals of Krishna district in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh,” he told The Hindu .
“We get bulk orders for live birds and dressed meat of the birds as well as eggs from restaurants, organisers of small functions and others at regular intervals,” he added.
The meat and eggs of Japanese quail birds proved to be nutrient-rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals, he noted, adding that the rearing of quail birds had a tremendous potential as backyard farming to augment additional income for members of self-help groups and others in the villages.
These birds were known for their solid disease resistance capability and as such do not require vaccination. The quail farming could prove quite a profitable enterprise provided the venture was properly planned and the marketing opportunities were fully tapped, he remarked.
