Christmas makes turkey, emu & duck meats hot stuff

CHANDIGARH/COIMBATORE: Farm-raised turkey, emu and duck meats are slowly entering the Indian dining tables as these exotic meats have caught the fancy of discerning consumers. With Christmas and New Year drawing near, retailers as well as the farm-owners are busy with the processing of such meats.

The market is gearing to face the rush during the festival week. “We expect a 50% growth in business this year owing to a stable economy, unlike the previous year,” said Tia Solomon of Pune-based James Smith Food, which rears and sells Turkey and Peking ducks under the brand name ‘Capella’ in the domestic market.

She added that a majority of the sales was still coming during the festive month’s sales. “We expect to sell more than 3,000 turkey birds this year and over 1,000 ducks per day in the domestic market,” she said.

Turkey per kg was being sold for Rs 420-440, with a full-grown bird weighing between 4kg and 9kg. Peking duck is being sold for Rs 180 per kg. Suppliers to major restaurants and five-star hotels state that demand has picked up in the recent past with a number of retail and cash-and-carry store chains also entering the business.

The demand of duck (peking ducks) and emu meat is also likely pick up during the festive season. Chennai-based Kallerians, who has recently entered the Turkey meat processing business with a unit in Vellore, expects the demand to grow up as Christmas nears.