By Rekhi Ram Rana, Palpa, Nov. 2: The Kalij pheasant rearing has started commercially in Palpa for the first time.

For the purpose of selling chickens and meat of Kalij, its rearing has been introduced in Batashe Dadha of Tansen, Palpa.

With the investment of 50 million rupees, five entrepreneurs of Palpa and Rupandehi have started the poultry business.

There is a demand for the newborn Kalij pheasant and their meat, said Surendra Bashyal, one of the entrepreneurs, so to fulfill the increasing demand we have started the Kalij rearing business in 24 Ropani of land.

According to him, 22 hundred Kalit pheasants of Ring neck and brown species have been raised in the farm presently.

The firm targets to build a hatchery of the capacity of producing 40 thousand Kalij annually in the near future.

He said that five of them started to raise the Kalij after having registered in the Sitoshna Wildlife and Agro Research Center.

The businessmen claimed that they searched for the proper place to rear Kajil in the whole of the district and started raising them here as it  was up to 15-25 degree Celsius temperature that is much needed for raising Kalij.

 At present, a fully grown Kalij is sold at Rs. 4,000 in the market.

Kalij pheasant, Lophura leucomelanos, is very great in taste and is good for health as well, so there would be no problem in selling its meat, said, Ram Prasad Shrestha, another entrepreneur.

He said the market for Kalij, a bird mainly found in forest, is not expanded despite having a great demand for its meat because of the lack of its production.

But the entrepreneurs have mentioned that they would produce and sell the meat as per the demand in the market and give new taste to the consumers.

Kamal Pandey, another operator, said that they were also going to run a hotel to offer a new taste for the tourists visiting Palpa.

Entrepreneurs said they would start rearing other wild animals in the future after getting approval from the government along with commercial rearing of the Kalij.

Shrestha said that they have started rearing Kalij in 24 Ropanis of land and also started production of fruits, lemons, oranges and avocado.

In the future, if the government gives permission, we will also keep other wildlife, added Shrestha.