Smallholder farmers in Malawi have been tipped to venture into Quail farming, by Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (Mana), the ministry’s  Public Relations Officer in the Ministry, Hamilton Chimala noted that there is scale non-conventional poultry farming, hence Quail farming has been recommended as profitable.

The development comes after mainstream poultry farming has faced lots of competition, as markets are flooded with chicken and/or egg suppliers. Poultry farming is broader than chickens and chicken eggs, but that is what works commercially, as turkeys and fowls do not sell as much on the markets. It gets worse for Quails as Malawian farmers have decried the lack of markets for Quail.

“The government should put an initiative to promote Quail farming because a majority of people here in Malawi” said Patience Lamwa, a Quail farmer, “when we talk about poultry, they only think about chickens and ducks which are expensive to raise unlike Quails”.Chimala revealed that the ministry has put together an initiative to expose the potential in non-conventional poultry such as Quail farming.

Meanwhile, on the global market, the global Quail eggs market driving factors are increasing demand for Quail eggs in various food products and cosmetics. Increasing demand for natural laid Quail eggs by health conscious consumers is also another factor in driving the global Quail eggs market. Manufacturers are focusing on providing healthier pickled Quail eggs product offerings to various restaurants and food stores. Quail eggs helps consumers in managing their blood pressure and helps in preventing chronic diseases, which is another major factor for driving the global quail eggs market worldwide. Hence, the global Quail eggs market is expected to observe robust growth over the forecast period.