Emu farming spells big profits in India

Poultry farmers in the north Indian state of Punjab have begun to breed the largest bird native to Australia, the emu, not just for its meat but also for its oil.

With high costs associated with the breeding of chickens, the emu offers a low-cost, high-protein and low-fat 20kg meat source per each bird for meat-eaters in India.

While emu meat is not expected to be a substitute to chicken, it could replace the underdeveloped red meat market in India, if it is reared in numbers.

However, more promise is held with pharmaceuticals researching the bird’s unique oil, the only known oil that can penetrate human skin.

Al Jazeera’s Sohail Rahman reports from Hoshiarpur.