Making quick money with rabbits

As unemployment continues to bite, more people are coming up with innovative ways to make a living. Many are turning to entrepreneurship as a solution.

Mary Daniel, 26, a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree holder, chose to invest in rabbit farming. She worked with several organisations after graduation in 2015, before she decided to go the self-employment way. Her Nyumbani Rabbit Farm (NRF) project is in Coast Region’s Mwanalugali Ward in Kibaha District.

As a student, Mary used to save some money from her education loan, which she used as capital for her rabbit project. She started with 30 rabbits over a year ago and today she is the proud owner of 1,845 rabbits. According to her, she chose rabbits because the animals are very productive and cost effective in terms of feeding.

Mary feeds her rabbits with rabbit pellets, clean water, tree leaves, fresh vegetables and grass. Instead of buying pellets in animal feed shops at Sh2,000 per kilo, she makes her own pellets at a cost of Sh950 per kilo, hence saving a lot of money. One rabbit consumes 2-3kg of feeds per month, and this rabbit will be ready for the market within four months weighing 3.5 kgs. The market price of rabbit meat is Sh9,000 per kg.

Rabbit meat has recently gained popularity as being the tasty and healthiest meat. Because of this, Mary and her five partners are assured of an income to smoothly run the project and for themselves.

NRF customers include local butchers, nyama choma proprietors, hotels and restaurants. She also sells rabbit urine to farmers who use it as manure and a pesticide for their crops.

Mary packages her products depending on order since customers’ needs vary. “We make sure our packaging is good as a way to retain customers. NRF offers services according to the preference of the customer. For example some hotels only buy rabbit legs, others buy the whole rabbit. So products are packed and sold per customers’ choice. Every NRF product package has a sticker with the Nyumbani Rabbit Farm logo and contact information,” says Mary.

NRF reaches its customers through advertisements on billboards, brochures and through participation in seminars and events like the annual Nane Nane agricultural show.

With all the challenges she has faced since she started keeping rabbits, not once has Mary ever regretted investing in the project. Neither does she regret quitting her job to pursue her self-employment dream. She rather regrets why she did not quit her job early enough because at times she receives more orders than production capacity.

“Rabbits take only four months to grow. Their gestation period is only 28-30 days and a female rabbit on average, can produce up to 30 young ones per year. A doe (female rabbit) can become pregnant again within hours of giving birth,” she says.

According to her, rabbits occupy little space hence are suitable for most urban areas. “They are such quiet animals that can be reared in any environment. They rarely get sick unless they are kept in unhygienic conditions.”

Apart from rearing rabbits for sale, Nyumbani Rabbit Farm also sells hybrid rabbits, rabbit feeds and marketing of rabbit products. They also conduct seminars and rabbit rearing training at a fee.

Rabbit production has the potential to ensure food security, improved nutritional status, as well as reducing poverty margin of small scale farmers and their families.

Rabbit production boosts agricultural production and income generating opportunities. Rabbit urine is used for horticulture, rabbit skin is used to make ornaments and clothes. Rabbit meat is among the healthiest meats on earth.

Why rabbit meat is good

Rabbit meat is white, high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol. It’s a source of protein which is important for healthy cellular processes and functions that in turn support tissue development, repair and maintenance.

The meat has the lowest fat content as compared to other meats. In addition, 63% of rabbit meat’s fat is unsaturated fat, which is regarded as good fat. Compared with other white meats, rabbit meat is low in calories and is currently in high demand given its health advantages.

Challenges that Mary faces in her investment include the fact that there is no slaughtering area for rabbits in Coast Region. This makes it difficult for Nyumbani Rabbit Farm to obtain Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) certification. With TFDA certificate, customers can trust the company brand and its products.

Another challenge is that the animals need to be kept in a warm environment and in case of power blues they become prone to diseases. Lack of a cold room is another challenge. After being slaughtered, rabbit meat needs to be kept in a cold room so as to retain its freshness, since the meat supplied by NRF is fresh with no preservatives added. Instead the meat is kept in freezers where it rots sometimes due to power cuts.

“We have incurred losses over electricity problems,” Mary says.

Mary and her team would like to see NRF become the leading, fully integrated producers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers of rabbit products in Tanzania. Mary says the market is readily available now that people are conscious with what they eat. Being white, rabbit meat is mostly consumed by people with heart disease, cancer, diabetics, people with protein deficiency as well as those who don’t prefer meats high in cholesterol.

Despite the challenges, Mary says the good thing about rabbits is that you can earn money while having enough time for your family. Because when they are properly taken care of, rabbits hardly get attacked by diseases. They require minimum time especially when they are kept in well-constructed cages which allow easy monitoring.

Piece of advice

Mary calls on upcoming entrepreneurs to be confident and strive to reach their goals. She tells them that it is important to remember why they embarked on a certain project, especially when they face hard times.

She thanks government’s initiative to push for industrialisation and stresses on the need to reduce taxes that are a burden to young entrepreneurs. Mary also says low interest loans would be a great boost.

The name Nyumbani, which means home, according to Mary, aims to popularise rabbit meat in Tanzania and ensure a readymade market for rabbit breeders in and out of Tanzania. It also aims to create a culture of buying local so as to strengthen the country’s economy.

Email: [email protected]