Bogor ostrich farm joins lucrative worldwide business
Bogor ostrich farm joins lucrative worldwide business
By Joko Suwarno
BOGOR, West Java (JP): One variety to be considered to your
regular dish of steak may be parts of a three-meter-tall, 150-
kilogram bird: the ostrich.
It is claimed to have less cholesterol and fat than beef.
That's not all. Shoes, bags and jackets can be made from the
hide. Ostrich feathers can be made into high-quality dusters used
in the automotive industry, painting, fashionable boas and toys.
Ostrich oil is raw material for cosmetics and the bones can be
used in cooking.
"Soup made with bones from an ostrich's throat is more tasty
than ox-tail soup," says Kartawijaya Mustapa, a manager at PT
Royal Ostrindo, which breeds the flightless birds at a farm in
Gunung Sindur area, Bogor.
The claims to the health conscious, particularly in advanced
countries, and the potential demand for ostrich feathers and hide
makes ostrich breeding look prospective.
"There are big opportunities for exports and the prices are
good," Kartawijaya, 33, said.
Royal Ostrindo, which began operations last August, is the
first company here dealing in ostriches. Similar businesses have
mushroomed in the United States, South Africa, Australia and
European countries.
The company has also developed farms in Sumba, West Nusa
Tenggara (11,000 ha), Kupang, West Nusa Tenggara (500 ha),
Cikampek (600 ha), West Java, and Cibadung-Bogor (20 ha).
"The ranch at Gunung Sindur is only a quarantine and for
cultivation of breeders," says Sadikin Djayapertjunda, the firm's
operations director. He said the firm's total investment is Rp 53
billion (US$22.5 million).
Kartawijaya says PT Royal Ostrindo plans an annual production
of 10,000 to 20,000 ostriches, mostly for export.
Ostrich meat, Kartawijaya said, nearly tastes like high-
quality beef. "It is even healthier because its fat and
cholesterol content is low, while its protein content is high."
A higher supply is also ensured compared to beef, which is
important to the business.
"A cow gives birth to one calf a year, while an ostrich can
lay 40 to 60 eggs a year. Fifty percent of the eggs can hatch and
the chicks grow into adulthood," says Kartawijaya.
Each ostrich yields 20 to 30 kilograms of export-quality meat,
generally of the thighs, with a ratio of 66 percent steak and 33
percent fillet.
"In Italy and Switzerland, the price ranges from $17 to $19
for fillets and $9 to $12 for steak," says Kartawijaya.
PT Royal Ostrindo has imported 350 breeders from South Africa
and Zimbabwe.
"South African ostriches are smaller, but lay more eggs.
Ostriches from Zimbabwe are bigger and stronger, but produce
fewer eggs," says Kartawijaya.
He said a breeder costs between $10,000 to $30,000, "depending
on the quality, pedigree and type of the bird and the trader's
reputation".
From the initial 350 breeders, there are now about 1,000 on
the 22-hectare ranch. They are taken care of by 30 workers,
including two expatriates.
It is not difficult to breed ostriches. "In their original
environment in Africa, the climate is hot. But in America,
ostriches cope well with the winter climate," said Kartawijaya,
who graduated in business administration at Southern Oregon State
College.
Research is ongoing to maximize the growth, development and
egg production of ostriches.
Special treatment is given to eggs as well as chicks, which
are ostriches less than three months old.
"In the first three months, the chicks are very susceptible to
disease," says Wawan Sutian, a veterinarian of the Animal
Quarantine Center at Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta.
The surface of a hatched egg is first disinfected. The egg is
then placed into cold storage.
It is later transported to a hatching machine consisting of
three incubators, and another hatching machine equipped with two
dehumidifier units.
This process lasts about 42 days until the egg hatches.
The chicks are then put into chick pens, where cleanliness is
strictly maintained.
The chicks are given balanced nutritious food and are
protected from various forms of stress like disease and extreme
temperatures.
When three months old, the young ostriches are transferred to
larger and more open areas, where no more special treatment is
given. Their cages have wooden poles and roofs.
"After three months, ostriches are past the critical period of
diseases," says Kartawijaya.
Ostrich meat is at its most tender when chicks are 10 to 12
months, he added.
The weight at this time reaches 100 kilograms, with 40
kilograms net of meat.
Adults are kept for breeding and egg production purposes.
Ostriches are productive for 50 years. In the wild, they reach 70
to 80 years old.
Each adult requires 1.5 to 3 kilograms of a concentrated
mixture given mornings and evenings. Vegetables for extra protein
are added to the concentrate to make the food more attractive.
In less than a year, PT Royal Ostrindo plans to have
surrounding farmers participating in the business.
The farmers will each be given three breeders which are four
to six months old, consisting of one male and two females,
ostrich feed and medicines.
"The farmers only prepare the land and the labor," says
Kartawijaya. The firm will then buy the products, which are
limited to eggs weighing up to 1.5 kilograms, in the first phase.
"We will purchase one egg for between Rp 100,000 and Rp
200,000," Kartawijaya said.