AP Incubators Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based manufacturer and exporter of poultry incubators and equipment, is planning to set up the country’s first emu fat and oil processing plant on the city outskirts with an investment of Rs 14 crore, according to managing director N Srinivas Chowdary.
The plant, to be set up under the company’s new subsidiary AP Emu Processors on 10 acre, will have an initial capacity to process 600 kg of frozen emu fat into refined oil and soap stock per day.
“A three-year exclusive contract with Pennsylvania-based Bulk Emu Oil is already in place, and we will start exporting the US FDA and American Emu Association-approved emu oil to them once the processing unit is completed in 10 months from now,” Chowdary told mediapersons on Tuesday.
The company, he said, had plans to establish an emu slaughter house and meat processing unit in the city, expected to be ready for commercial production in the next three years. A majority of the proposed investment would be funded through bank loans and the remaining through internal accruals, he added.
According to SK Maini, partner, AP Emu Processors, Andhra Pradesh leads the country in emu farming with approximately 3,500 farmers and a bird population of 800,000, closely followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and Gujarat. The total emu population in India is estimated to be 1.4 million.
“Though there is significant demand for emu meat and other products, the Indian emu industry on Tuesday is suffering due to lack of slaughter and fat processing facilities. Our idea is to promote satellite slaughter units in several emu-producing states. We are already working closely with various universities for R&D on breeder birds for meat, and with the cosmetic industry for emu oil-based skincare and healthcare products. We will start exporting these products after three years from now,” he said.
