Why Kenyan quail farmers should not give up

By Nguru Kabugi

NAIROBI, KENYA: Enterprising Kenyan quail farmers have endured a tough few weeks, after the market prices for the eggs suddenly collapsed from a high of Sh100, to current prices of Sh20 and below per piece.

A major reason why the prices collapsed appears to be that the supply outstripped the demand, following the saturation of the initial farmer-to-farmer market. Farmers were essentially buying seed to start their own crop.

Now what is upon all the farmers is the market of real consumers.

Some farmers may be tempted to throw in the towel in haste, before doing a good analysis of the situation, and the quail farming business. This may be a mistake.

There is little doubt that quail eggs are different from chicken or kienyenji eggs, even when the feeds are the same.

The reason for this is simple: quails are not chicken!It’s the same reasoning why spinach will be spinash and sukama wiki will be sukuma wiki when they are grown side by side on the same soils, with same care and nutrients. Similarly milk from an Ayrshire cow will be different from that of the Friesian or Zebu.

However, our scientists owe the quail farmers and the consumers a conclusive nutritional analysis of the eggs, to confirm the superior value claims that have been used to market the eggs. These claims are not confined to Kenya though, and therefore may not be easy to dismiss.

Before giving up, a farmer should first take a pen and paper, and evaluate whether they will still be making profit if the eggs sell at Sh 20, 10 or even 5. If there is good profit at Sh 5, why abandon the business?

It’s also true that Kenyans have hardly eaten the quail eggs. At Sh 100 a piece, the eggs were pricier that many medicine tablets. Now at Sh 20/= or below, a lot more Kenyans will afford them.

 If the nutritional claims are also proven true, the demand will pick up. Even before considering the sick, elderly, kids, or nursing mothers, could we not all use high nutrition natural product like eggs from our own farmers?

The farmers should also not give up before exploring export markets. Is there a market for the eggs in Middle East, Far East, Europe or America? Such information ought to be at the fingertips of our Export Promotion Council or the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce.

The eggs are certainly exportable- with a shelf life of 30days, they are not as perishable as the cut-flowers from Naivasha or fresh tilapia from Winam. They have the advantage of low weight and small volume, making them easier and cheaper to airfreight. If South Africans can bring bulky, ordinary chicken eggs all the way to Western Kenya, why can’t we ship quail eggs to Qatar?

What about value addition? What other products can entrepreneurs derive from the eggs like nutritional supplements and beauty products? There may be manufacturers somewhere using the eggs for such products and cannot get enough. One apparent easy way is canning, giving the eggs longer shelf life, for improved portability and exportability.

In short, the quail business is at it’s infancy- unexplored and unexploited. The serious quail farmer should be asking themselves whether it’s right to quit the business so early, instead of getting smarter in it.

@NguruKabugi markets made in Kenya products on the internet. Email: [email protected]