Comparative Industry Growth Rates – World Ostrich Association

Newsletter No. 24 – March 2005 Item 2

Aquaculture, another new agri-processing industry, has shown rapid expansion in recent years, going from 7million metric tonnes in 1980 to 38million metric tonnes in 2001. Figure 1 shows the comparative growth rate of just one specie, Farmed Atlantic Salmon over the same period and Ostrich from 1993, when the first records were published. The early years of farmed salmon were on similar levels to Ostrich. In a period of 20 years it has increased production to 1.2 million metric tonnes, showing phenomenal growth year on year.

Figure 1 – Comparative Production Atlantic Salmon and Ostrich
[Source: Atlantic Salmon – FAO. Ostrich see Figure 2]

By comparison, Figure 2 shows that in the same period the Ostrich industry has continued to stagnate and decline.

Figure 2 – World Ostrich Slaughter Figures
[Source: NOPSA, Peter van Zyl, Report on the on the Investigation into the effect of deregulation on the South African Ostrich Industry]
* South African 2004 figures estimated

Postscript:
The principles demonstrating opportunities discussed in this newsletter remain available to commercial ostrich production. It was addressing the management system failures that provided the trigger to the significant growth experieneced in commercial Atlantic Salmon.