|
STICKING THEIR NECKS OUT
BY AMENA BAKR
Eating a six-foot bird that lays eggs the size of volleyballs might not seem
too appetizing – at least when it’s put that way – but Egypt’s
ostrich farmers believe there is space on the dinner table for a low-fat, high-protein
alternative meat.
When it comes to adventure, Egyptians prefer to keep it off their plate. Exotic
meats such as caribou, crocodile and bison may be considered gourmet delicacies
in some of the world’s finest restaurants, but most Egyptians would never
consider to pay extra just to sample them. So the challenge of marketing ostrich
– a giant feather duster with legs – should not be surprising. Yet
a small ostrich farming industry does exist in the desert outside Cairo and
ostrich meat is showing up in local steak houses and supermarket delis.
Ostrich farming first came to Egypt over a decade ago after the government began
promoting private sector investment in ostrich farms based on a commercial model
developed in South Africa, where ostrich farming has been practiced since the
1820s. By the late 1990s, more than a dozen big ostrich farms had been set up
in the desert, mainly along the Cairo-Ismailiya Road.
Today just six of these farms are still in business, while another 20 small
farms, with less than 40 ostriches each, have set up along the Cairo-Alexandria
Desert Road. “The reason why so many [of the original] farms have shut
down is that a lot of the businessmen who went into this business had no idea
about ostrich farming,” says Atef Ali Fahmy, owner of Egy Alfa for Import
& Export, which operates a 100-feddan farm with over 200 ostriches.
An alternative meal
Ostrich farming is a lot like raising free-range chickens, but the birds also
require special care, especially during their first 10 months. Fahmy admits
that he himself was unfamiliar with breeding ostriches when he started his project
in 2001, but he strongly believed that his project would kick off due to the
public’s increasing health consciousness. “People in Egypt are becoming
more health conscious and watching what they eat, and ostrich meat is a rich
source of protein without all the fat and cholesterol [of other meats],”
he says.
But one of the biggest challenges is convincing Egyptians not to look at ostriches
as attractions in a zoo, but rather as delicious grilled steaks and luncheon
meat. Of course, the peculiar nature of the meat is hard for some to swallow.
“People still find it strange that ostrich meat is red and not white like
other birds, and that’s why the demand was very low in the 90s, but I
think now it’s getting better,” says Emad Atef, an engineer at Egy
Alfa.
He says experience and economies of scale have helped farmers to reduce the
price of ostrich meat, broadening its market appeal. The average cost of a kilo
of fresh ostrich meat has fallen from LE 100 in the late 1990s to LE 50 today,
which makes it about LE 10 per kilo cheaper than veal. “When we first
started our project, we had 30 birds and now we have 200, and this is the same
with all the other farms that survived – they have all increased their
capacities; that’s why prices have dropped,” Atef explains.
Fahmy admits, however, that price-conscious consumers are unlikely to choose
ostrich over chicken, which costs about LE 13 per kilo, or about a quarter of
the price. “At the end of the day, limited-income groups think of both
meats as the same because both chickens and ostriches are birds,” he says.
“But we are encouraging those who are health conscious and have the money
to buy ostrich meat because it has limited fat and higher protein content.”
It may also be a safer alternative, suggests Fahmy. “We hear of new virus
infections in beef and chicken every day, and I believe that ostrich meat offers
an escape from all this.”
While ostriches are susceptible to the avian flu virus, the deadly H5N1 strain
of the virus that is transmissible to humans is rarely found in adult birds.
Scientists attribute this fact to adult ostrich’s strong immune system,
a longer neck that reduces the opportunity for infection, and that the birds
are not kept in close confines like other poultry. To date, no cases of the
H5N1 virus have been reported in ostriches in Egypt despite regular monitoring
by the ministries of health and agriculture.
Yet despite the health and safety marks, a number of supermarkets and restaurants
that Business Monthly spoke to have indicated that the public’s response
to ostrich meat products has been very cool. “We did our best to introduce
ostrich meat by giving customers tasting samples and teaching them new recipes,
but sales have been very low,” said one employee of supermarket chain
Metro Market’s sales department, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Over
the past few years, we decided to stop purchasing fresh [ostrich] meat, and
right now we only carry a handful of cold-cut products... in short, marketing
these products is difficult.”
Poultry with attitude
Breeding ostriches can also be difficult. Ostrich chicks are extremely susceptible
to stress and disease in their early stages of development, says Fahmy. “Chickens
need 40 days [until they mature] and you can slaughter them, while ostriches
need 10 months. So there’s a huge difference in time, and that increases
the chances of more problems occurring,” he says. During the early phases
of Fahmy’s project many chicks were lost, he admits, but as his staff
gained experience they have managed to reduce losses, though he declined to
give any mortality figures.
Once mature, ostriches are strong birds with a very high tolerance to Egypt’s
desert climate. “Unlike poultry, ostriches can live in very hot climates,
up to 50 C, and [have a lifespan of up to] 80 years. Some females reproduce
until the age of 45. So, as you see, they are very strong animals,” says
Fahmy.
The biggest threat to the adult birds is stress. Despite their size, some weighing
in at over 100 kilograms, ostriches have a low tolerance for confined spaces.
Unlike chickens, which can be crammed into tiny cages, ostriches must be blindfolded
and given plenty of standing room when transported. Even then, the stress of
the trip can take its toll. “We once tried to export 600 live adult birds
to a farm in Kuwait and, due to the stress of the long trip on the ferry, over
50 died on the way,” says Fahmy.
A CHANGE FROM CHICKEN
During the time of the Pharaohs, when ostriches roamed freely in Egypt,
the giant birds were valued for their giant eggs, which were considered
sacred, and their beautiful plumes, which were buried with gold and jewels
in the tombs of royals. Today, ostriches have been reintroduced to Egypt,
but this time their plumage is being sent to fashion designers in Europe,
while the birds themselves are starting to show up on the menu.
Ostrich cold cuts can be found in some of Egypt’s larger supermarket
chains, while the restaurants of five-star hotels occasionally offer their
customers a taste of the exotic meat. But the only place Business Monthly
is aware of where ostrich steaks are available year-round is the small
restaurant in Qariat Al Assad (Lion Village), a theme park located on
the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road.
People are naturally curious to try ostrich meat, says Sayed Saeid, operations
manager at Qariat Al Assad. “Visitors who come here always want
to try something new and we suggest the ostrich meat dishes, which have
become a favorite for many of our customers,” he says. A small on-site
breeding project with 20 ostriches supplies the meat for the restaurant,
which is sold to adventurous diners for about LE 45 a plate.
|
Certainly, space is an important factor to consider for ostrich farmers, as
these giant birds need plenty of room to roam around. “The birds that
we fatten to be slaughtered need at least 30 square meters of space each, while
the breeder groups that produce the eggs – which are made up of two females
and a male – need at least 500 square meters to roam around in,”
explains Fahmy.
Ostriches make an excellent long-term investment, he maintains. The cost of
a female breeder ostrich ranges from LE 3,000 to LE 5,000 depending on the age
and fertility of the bird. Most are imported from South Africa or Kenya, and
can produce over 2,000 eggs in their 40-50 year fertility period. Females lay
35-55 eggs in a single season, of which 20-30 can be expected to yield chicks
that survive beyond the critical three-month stage.
Apart from 40 kilograms of meat, worth about LE 1,800 on the wholesale market,
ostriches are also valued for their skin and feathers. Ostrich leather, known
for its unique quill marks and pliability, is coveted by some of Europe’s
top design houses. Local ostrich farmers export raw leather to Europe for up
to E85 per hide, where it is fashioned into designer bags and shoes that fetch
up to E1,200 a piece. “We also sell ostrich feathers to local businessmen
in Egypt who use them to make feather dusters or for decoration; the cost of
a kilogram is about LE 250,” says Atef.
Ostrich eggs, roughly equivalent in size to two dozen medium-sized chicken eggs
but somewhat bland by comparison, are sold in some local supermarkets for about
LE 25 each. Fahmy admits the market for 24-egg omelets is rather slim, but says
the shells are valued for their aesthetic properties – often exquisitely
painted and used to decorate homes. “What does have a demand in foreign
markets are the empty egg shells that are used for decoration; we sell them
for LE 30 per shell,” Atef explains.
Given the narrow demand in Egypt, ostrich farmers are hoping to grow their export
market. Some farm owners have posted ads on business-to-business websites hoping
to attract foreign buyers, but Atef admits the export market is highly competitive
and just 5-10 percent of Egyptian ostrich meat is destined for commercial buyers
in the Middle East. “The reason why we don’t export to the US and
Europe is because they require certain specifications for slaughterhouses that
are unavailable in Egypt,” he explains.
The real challenge is at home, where ostrich farmers are hoping the alternative
meat will find a following. Fahmy admits it is a tough business, but says he
is optimistic about the future. “Although only 10 percent of the farms
survived the tough period in the beginning, today is better than yesterday for
us and I have faith that the coming years will be even better than this year.
Submit
your comment
Top
|
