Rabbits win race as flu plays foul with poultry

The avian flu threat has come as a blessing for the rabbit rearing industry in Kerala with the kitchens in the Gulf increasingly opting for meat products other than those from the chicken coop.

Demand for rabbit meat, mostly from the Gulf countries, is showing a northward trend. This was evident from an investors' meet organised last month by the Kerala State Animal Husbandry Department that saw entrepreneurs bombarding the organisers with queries on export of rabbit meat.

Further, the meet also saw many an entrepreneur keen on learning the intricacies of rabbit rearing from farmers in this part of the world, so that such farms could be set up in the Gulf region. The low-fat meat of rabbits is something the Gulf dining tables seem to relish.

Though officials here dismiss this development as nothing to do with the avian flu threat, it may be seen as having at least a remote connection.

Says E G Prem Jain, assistant director, State Animal Husbandry Department, "this can't be seen as a fall out of the bird flu threat. Even before the epidemic was detected in the country, companies from abroad had come to us seeking rabbit meat and expertise in rabbit farming. The problem we always faced was that farm owners and suppliers were struggling to meet the requirements of even the domestic market."

But queries from abroad, especially from the Gulf nations, have prompted the state department to look at the prospect and exploit it to the fullest.

"We now look forward to devising a strategy to make use of the demand for rabbit meat. We will do all that is possible to encourage rabbit farms and push up production," Jain said. He expressed confidence that Kerala would be able to export rabbit meat in a short while from now.

Rabbit meat is a delicacy in Kerala, with toddy shops and restaurants across the state serving the dish. Rabbit rearing is also a means of livelihood for many families that come under the BPL (below poverty line) category as it involves less capital and the animals thrive on kitchen waste and farm by-products.

Sources said enquiries on rabbit farming had been pouring in from NRI entrepreneurs in the Gulf.

According to statistics, Kerala houses rabbit farms mostly in Wayanad, Idukki, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, which rear about four lakh animals. The availability of green fodder and cool climes gave the state the advantage when it comes to effective rabbit farming, they added.

With chicken off the menu, it's now for Kerala's rabbits to hop in.