“Ostriches in
Kosovo”
By Jackson Allers
(adapted from ‘Economia’ TV
segment by UNMIK’s Arta Pllana)
August 5,
2004
SLUG: As Kosovo struggles to
provide new business initiatives for its economic development, one Kosovo family
has turned their sites towards the development of an African delicacy: Ostrich
meat and Ostrich eggs.
As Kosovo’s agricultural and industrial industries struggle to create new business initiatives for its economic development, one Kosovo family has turned their sites towards the development of an African delicacy: Ostrich meat and Ostrich eggs.
Hello and welcome, you are
listening to UNMIK On-Air
People on
Streets:
Person 1:
“Do you know what ostriches
are?” “No, I don’t.”
Person 2:
“Do you know what ostriches
are?”
“Ostriches? -Ah yes! A type
of bird from hot places! Yes in Africa!”
It’s no surprise that
Ostriches are not a well-known bird in Kosovo. Why would they be? This African species – the largest
living bird in the world - has never roamed the Kosovo soil…until now.
Ostriches
making sounds
Kosovo’s first Ostrich farm
just outside of Pristina is the brainchild of Shpresa Hasani.
A
mother of three, Hasani is an economist by profession who spent more than 6
months preparing for her new life as an Ostrich farmer in
Kosovo.
Shpresa Hasani : “While me and my husband were abroad by
the coincidence we were invited to this world seminar for ostriches. We went to
the seminar listened carefully, liked what we heard and when we got back to
Kosovo, we realized that ostriches would be a new alternative for
agribusiness.”
Although there are risks in
starting any uncharted businesses, especially in the fragile economy of Kosovo,
Hasani is not the first to commercially farm Ostriches.
The
first historical Ostrich farms began in South Africa in the mid-19th
century. But in the 19th century and in the early part of the
20th century, Ostriches were most prized for their feathers – used in
fashion and costuming as well as feather dusters.
Nowadays, Ostrich meat,
Ostrich leather and Ostrich eggs are what consumers demand from this Ratite – or
flightless bird.
Again - Shpresa
Hasani:
“Ostrich meat has a high quality because
it has very little fat, high in protein, with very little cholesterol and is
packed with a lot of vitamins. Also, Ostrich skin is of a better quality then
that of a 60 year old crocodile and the feathers are used for the car
industry (such as for car seats),
as for Ostrich eggs - Again they are of high quality – with less cholesterol,
and on Ostrich egg is the equivalent of two dozen chicken
eggs.”
Shpresa goes after
ostriches, and very gently talks to them like:
Makush,
makuuush….
Since importing the birds
from Slovenia some 2 months ago, Shpresa Hasani has discovered that Ostriches
are a very delicate species of birds despite the fact that male ostriches can
weigh between 150 and 180 kilograms, and reach heights of 3
meters
Halil Ajdini walking the
through the grass to get eggs…
Halil Ajdini is one of the
Ostrich farm attendants. Ajdini says he had never heard of Ostriches before he
came to work for the Hasani’s.
Ajdini: “At first when I came here, I had not heard about Ostriches, but I started to work, and I was not afraid of them; Now, I give them food between 6 and 7 in the evening and then we collect eggs from meadow. After collecting the eggs we clean and disinfect them …I have to say, I find the eggs to be exquisite.”
|
Ostriches eating their food |
Ostriches only eat once a
day and because they are very protective of their eggs, Hasani and the other
attendants collect the Ostrich eggs during feeding time.
Ostriches produce up to 80
eggs a year. The “live eggs” or those containing living babies are put in
incubators around 45 days before they hatch.
RESTAURANT SOUNDS…
Bajraktari plans to use one
of Kosovo’s first domestically grown Ostrich eggs as a table decoration in his
restaurant.
Bajraktari: “I would first like to great the initiative of Mrs.Shpresa for a having an Ostrich farm, it is going to be a big novelty for our restaurant, where we already have some other characteristic that define our restaurant and would be a pleasure for us to have the ostrich meat.”
As
for Kosovo’s newfound agribusiness, the exotic African birds seem to have
adapted well to their Balkan surroundings and Hasani expects the first batch of
baby Ostriches to arrive in the beginning of August.
But
Hasani says – a sustainable market for Ostrich meat in Kosovo will take
additional planning with other Kosovans.
Hasani: “In the future I think to co-operate with Meat producers for selling the ostrich meat, to develop (elaborate) the skin, also I want to co-operate with farmers the ones who have a suitable lands for keeping and growing ostriches.”
That’s all for this edition
of UNMIK On-Air. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned.