ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF RABBIT FARMING
Starting on a sad note, it is true that the country is in recession and is not recovering well. Citizens now taste, smell and feel the recession’s unhealthy pot. It is even worse and appalling out there were a population of teeming youths are only good at designing eye catching CVs and waiting for white-collar jobs without making use of their youthful vigor and education to invent and workout positive ideas that will positively affect and turn around the economy. Such is the case with Nigeria.
In this post I am going to share with you some financial benefits of starting a rabbit farming business and hoping you start one tomorrow and get yourself out of that job seekers zone. Or perhaps diversify your farming project, or better still make a decision to save money and your family's health by raising your own meat rabbits at home.
Rabbits as alternative meat protein
Population growth in the developed countries is stabilizing while that of developing countries including Nigeria is still increasing rapidly. Thus, the search for alternative sources of protein to meet up the population challenge is imperative. Economic indices indicate that as this population trend continues, more people are to be fed. Agricultural outputs needs to be increased rather than through food importation into the country. In order to maximize food production and meet protein requirements in Nigeria, viable options need to be explored and evaluated. Among such alternatives is the use of livestock species that are yet to play a major role in animal production within the country. Fast-growing livestock such as rabbits possess a number of features that might be of advantage in the smallholder subsistence type integrated farming in developing countries.
Rabbits are characterized by small body size, short gestation period, high reproductive potential, rapid growth rate, genetic diversity, and their ability to utilize forages. Their by-products serve as major diet components and are devoid of fat thus making them suitable important source of protein. Rabbit meat is of high quality, being high in protein and low in fat content. In the past, rabbit production is common in the rural areas where a few villagers keep pairs of rabbits to provide meat for the family and supplement their crop raising efforts.
Recently, rabbit production is being integrated into small farming systems, with the rabbits being fed on crop residues, weeds, waste fruits and vegetables.
With so many health benefits in eating rabbit meat a profitable meat rabbit business can be started with just 3 to 4 does and 1 buck, some basic equipment, and a buyer. Rabbit meat is Cholesterol free and heart patient friendly. A rabbit is only 20 percent bone, so there is little waste when producing the animal for food. Rabbit meat is widely eaten in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, Kano, Kastina Imo, Anambra, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, and Ekiti.
With 30 days gestation period the rabbit is able to produce 8-10 kits in 30 days – one or two may die, an average of 50 kits in a year fits in for this projections. With each set maturing and attaining 2-3kg weight in four months, an average of 100 kg in 17 months. Currently the minimum amount for a kg of rabbit meat is N450. In 17 months, one female rabbit would have fetch the keeper N45000. Multiply that by 10 if the keeper were to start with 10 rabbits and you have N4 500 000. Yes, it is real. That N3000 rabbit has made N45000. No other livestock can do so much.
Rabbit urine and manure as significant plant food
Rabbit urine is widely used as a more eco/plant friendly and cheaper means of fertilizing the soil. Farmers in countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Burkina Faso collect thousands of litters of this byproduct and sell to fertilizer production cottages. A litter of pure rabbit urine goes for $4 and is converted into good fertilizer through a process called biological fixation. Excuses such as the Dollar exchange rate have been used to hike the price of agricultural inputs, the price of a bag of NPK fertilizer has since doubled thereby cutting down the yield and production capacity of farmers in the country, compounding the hardship they face in producing food for the nation.
From what I have learned, setting up a fertilizer plant that will convert rabbit urine into foliar in every L.G.A of the country is feasible due to low cost and ease of setting it up and operating.
I have been using this fertilizer on my potato and maize farm with better growth and high yield as prove of success.
If rabbit urine can be utilized in Nigeria like it is done in Kenya, it will not only provide alternatives to NPK fertilizers, it will create jobs; youths can start raising rabbits for meat, urine and pelt, while investors can set up fertilizer plants that will buy rabbit urine, process and sell back to the farmers. These create a very profitable cycle. And as the rabbits keep multiplying, more youths are engaged, more fertilizer is produced, and sooner the problem of fertilizer in Nigeria will be history.
Rabbit farming for sustainability
The high and unreasonable prices of food are now a major burden on Nigerians working or not working. As this tends to take away every penny an average Nigerian intends to save. For instance, the average price of beef and chicken has risen significantly in the last 20 years. Beef has increased almost 70% since 2000. The price for a Kg of chicken has increased 300% since 1998.
On the other hand, you will have on average N450 in each kg of live weight of each fryer (4 month old) that you raise, whereas meats like beef, chicken and pork sold in a supermarket/cold room cost between N1,000 to N3,000 per kg. An average New Zealand doe (female), if good stock, should produce around 90.7 kg. of actual meat per year. A 3kg. fryer (at 4 months old) will produce about 1.6 kg. of actual meat. Do the math; you may have between N30,000 to N45,000 in this 90.7kg. of meat, but at the supermarket you would have spent between N200,000 to N500,000 for the same quantity of meat. In my opinion, this is profit, an opportunity to start saving. Remember, this figures are based on the stock and feed used by JF Rabbits.
Rabbits are herbivores and will consume large quantities of forage (greens), which people do not eat and convert this forage into valuable meat for human consumption. Practically, rabbits can be fed anything from the garden, forest or kitchen including banana and papaya (pawpaw) peels, pineapple cores, corn stalks, weeds, vines from pulses, leaves (cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots etc. This indicates that unlike chickens, rabbits compete minimally with humans for grains. This is bad news for recession and positive news for Nigerians who are going through hard times financially.
Rabbit fur for Dollars
High quality rabbit skins are used in fur garments (clothing, hats), foot mats, etc., and their use could spark a village industry/crafts projects that will engage thousands of creative/artistic youths.
Rabbit production for export
America, China, France and Italy are some of the countries that produce but still import rabbit meat due to high demands that cannot be met by local production. These countries and many others in Europe, Asia and America import tons of rabbit meat to meet local demand yearly. Nigeria, with its massive population/unemployment rate can tap into this market opportunity and become a leading producer/exporter of rabbit meat in Africa, joining countries like Kenya, Egypt and Burundi.
From all appearance, these small furry creatures with their God given reproductive prowess and characteristics that make them suitable weapons to fight malnutrition, hunger and poverty in Nigeria can better the lives of countless Nigerians by providing food, income, recreation, jobs and research. Rabbit farming is an untapped market with undeniably unimaginable potentials.
Stop being jobless
Jobless youths can start this project with as little as N6,000. There is no need of youths idling with the excuse that they cannot acquire a loan to start big businesses, when they can start with a cool project like rabbit farming.
