Rs90.57 million to boost ostrich farming

Govt approves five development schemes in various sectors

LAHORE: The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has approved a sum of Rs90.57 million for ostrich farming in Punjab. The aim is to ensure food security through sharing the load on meat and beef in the country and generate exportable and high valued surplus meat.

The PDWP approved five development schemes in various sectors at an estimated cost of over Rs14 billion. This was decided in in the 17th meeting of the PDWP on Wednesday, with Planning and Development (P&D) Chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani in the chair.

Besides SMEs and entrepreneur development schemes, the PDWP has given a go-ahead for the development of ostrich farming projects in Punjab. An amount of Rs90.57 million has been approved for the scheme.

Under the scheme, the government will provide a subsidy to livestock farmers for ostrich rearing and farming, besides building the capacity of livestock and ostrich farmers in Punjab. The government will also establish a model ostrich farm at the University of Veterinary, Animal and Sciences (UVAS), Pattoki, while doing experimentation at the university-level and on private ostrich farms. Under the scheme, avenues for ostrich meat and by-products exports will also be explored.

The official project proposal, made available to The Express Tribune, indicated ostrich farming was an emerging and innovative business. He said ostrich could provide meat 10 times faster compared to poultry and 15 times faster than traditional cattle farming.

For the moment, ostrich farming is a huge industry in the USA, Australia, Europe and some countries in the Middle East like Jordan and Lebanon. Over 30,000 ostrich farms, of different sizes, are fully functional globally. Due to the high nutritional value of its meat, as compared to other white and red meat and high Food Conversion Ratio (FCR) as compared to other animals and birds, it ensures faster and cheaper food security.

The proposal also highlighted that the basic concept of the project is to engage, educate, motivate and support local farmers for ostrich farming; an innovative livestock business, through technical assistance and subsidy in rearing of ostrich chicks. For the purpose, livestock and ostrich farmers from throughout Punjab will be selected and supported in this livestock business.

The selected farmers will purchase ostrich chicks from any source as per their convenience and rear them at their facility. Ostrich chicks at registered ostrich farms will be tagged. After three months, the registered ostrich farmers will be supported by an amount of Rs2,000 for each healthy and registered ostrich chick as first installment. The same procedure will be repeated after eight months (second installment) and after 12 months (third installment). The second and the third installments will be of Rs3,000 and Rs5,000 respectively for each registered healthy bird. In this way, registered ostrich farmers will get subsidy for rearing ostrich chicks for whole year. Initially, 5,000 birds will be supported under the proposed project.

The document showed that the government interventions under this project would lead to transformation of traditional meat sector to commercial one through development of all stakes viz, livestock owners, medicine, industry, tagging, feed ingredient industry, feed industry, meat process and meat exporters besides availability of quality meat and meat products for local consumption leading to human health safety.

The project will also ensure enhanced food security in the country, increased income of livestock farmers; utilisation of the abundant poultry farms for ostrich farming; engaging the youth from rural areas in awareness raising campaign; greater awareness of the livestock, ostrich farmers for the conversion of subsistence to more commercialised farming system; and higher social status due to improved awareness about value of ostrich, ostrich products, ostrich farming and increased income.