Millions of people across the world have lost jobs amid the pandemic, livelihoods of many families have been affected and reports suggest that standards of living have dropped across the globe. People have looked out and opted for secondary options to sustain life and have a guaranteed income source. The most common professions that were chosen by people who lost jobs were of vegetable and fruit vendors, masks & sanitizers selling etc. However, there are places where people chose for different professions than the one that were striving in the pandemic. One such story came from Odisha’s Koraput district where people for opted for Japanese Quail Farming.
THE STORY
The majority population of the Koraput’s district belongs from the tribal community and was equally affected by the pandemic as the world was. However, the residents understood the situation and took advantage of it by starting Quail farming which was cheaper and even more profitable than Poultry farming. According to the experts and locals, in addition to the low farming costs, quail farming involves less risk of diseases as well.
Source- Know your chickens 
Source- Down to Earth
The Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) and MS Swaminathan Foundation had procured Japanese quails from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Bhubaneswar. They provided training and demonstrations to various women self-help group (SHG) members of the Badeheguda, Mendhaguda, Bagipada Machara, Sukrigoda villages in March 2021 to eke out living during the pandemic.
“The MS Swaminathan Foundation provided 100 baby quails to our SHG in March 2021. All the birds became adults within three months and we started selling them. By July, we had already earned Rs 10,000.”
Daimanti Chindia (38) of Badeheguda village.
As a result of the efforts put forward by ORMAS and MS Swaminathan Foundation, close to 2000 women SHG members in Koraput have become successful quail farmers. According to Surajita Kumari Turuk, the project coordinator of MS Swaminathan Foundation; the Japanese Quail farming is well suited for small and marginal farmers as it could be easily grown in an small open area.
“A pair of week-old chicks can be sold at Rs 20. Birds aged three months can be sold at Rs 150. The rate of a kilogram of quail meat is around Rs 300. Quails grow very fast in a short duration.”
Surajita Kumari Turuk, the project coordinator of MS Swaminathan Foundation.
The initiative to practice quail farming was motivated when the people had started to consume Quail to increase their immunity fearing from COVID-19. As a result, farmers were making good money, Roshan Kumar Kartik, deputy chief executive, ORMAS, said.
Quail farming is an excellent source of secondary income for farmers and can also serve as the primary source if one wishes to scale up the level of rearing. Roshan Kumar Kartik, deputy chief executive, ORMAS believes quail farming could play a vital role in meeting the demand of food and nutrition. This was because its meat and eggs were tasty and nutritious. Quail eggs are more nutritious than other poultry eggs as they contain comparatively more protein, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, B1 and B2.
ABOUT THE BIRD
The quail is a small bird that belongs to the pheasant family. They were first domesticated in Japan in 1595. There are two species of quail in India: The black-breasted quail found in the wild and the brown-coloured Japanese quail which is bred for meat. They were introduced in India in 1974 from California.
Benefits Of Japanese Quail Farming
- High Profits: It is more profitable than farming poultry due to low farming costs and less risk of diseases.
- Beneficial for SMF: Japanese quail is well suited for small and marginal farmers (SMF) as it can be easily grown in an open space.
- Cost effective: Quail farming is cheap and affordable as the birds eat local foods.
- Nutritional security: Quail farming can help in meeting the demand of food and nutrition. Quail eggs are more nutritious than other poultry eggs as they contain comparatively more protein, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, B1 and B2.
AUTHOR’S OPINION
The joint efforts of MS Swaminathan Foundation and ORMAS have uplifted many families and have helped them overcome the financial debts and insecurities that were prevailing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Similar efforts are needed throughout the country where government bodies and independent organizations work in coordination and train the farmers in respect to the region specific agriculture; current market trends and demands so that they can ensure better income generation. This will also help in abolition of the myth that agriculture is not profitable. Moreover the farmers while keeping an open mind; must understand the market demand and adapt to necessary changes that can help them sustain in challenging conditions.