ZIMBABWE is set to be among top three rabbit-producing countries in Africa over the next five years driven by massive stakeholder support and keen interest from local farmers venturing into cuniculture.

Over the years, rabbit production in the country was in slumber but only got a new lease of life following the formation of the Zimbabwe Commercial Rabbit Breeders Association (ZICORBA) in July last year.

The association’s president Mr Regis Nyamakanga told Business Chronicle that they have been able to demonstrate the potential in the local rabbit sub-sector, previously dominated by backyard farmers.

Of late, he said they have started seeing a spike in the number of people venturing into cuniculture production.
Individual farmers, community-based organisations, schools, colleges, universities and private livestock companies have so far shown interest in cuniculture and are organising themselves into small, medium and large-scale producers.

“We are working with relevant Government bodies and we are planning to conduct a census of rabbit farmers in Zimbabwe to enable us to plan and cater for them effectively. We aim to be among the top three rabbit-producing countries in Africa in the next five years,” said Mr Nyamakanga.

He said said the massive interest in rabbit production in Zimbabwe over the past year and the recent construction of an export-approved rabbit abattoir have placed the country in good stead to become one of the major players in the cuniculture industry in Africa.

Construction of Zimbabwe’s first export-approved rabbit abbatoir at a cost of about US$1 million, was completed in Harare in July this year.

Plans are afoot to construct a second rabbit slaughter house in Bulawayo by next year while satellite structures will also be established across the country.

In just a year, Mr Nyamakanga said, ZICORBA has also been able to forge alliances with other rabbit farmers’ associations in countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique,  Eswatini,  Nigeria and Botswana.

“We are also talking to our counterparts in Zambia, Egypt and Ghana.”

Mr Nyamakanga said the objective was to boost rabbit production inline with the Government’s Livestock Growth Plan.

The Livestock Growth Plan is part of the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy launched by President Mnangagwa last year with the agenda of growing the livestock industry to US$1,9 billion by 2025.

“We are working on a sustained programme that will empower the majority of our people with the means to engage in an activity that will catapult them into the cash-economy and improve their livelihoods.

“The idea is to improve the living standards of the majority of our people.

“We aim to transform Zimbabwe’s economic landscape through rabbit farming by creating massive opportunities in the upstream and downstream industries,” said Mr Nyamakanga.

In line with the National Development Strategy 1, the rapid growth of the domestic rabbit industry has created vast opportunities for downstream industries such as cage makers, feed-mixers, rabbit nest makers, rabbit feeders and drinkers’ suppliers, rabbit urine and rabbit droppings vendors, rabbit tanneries and pet food makers, among others.

Meanwhile, ZICORBA is courting local financial institutions to unlock funding opportunities for the rabbit industry, which has potential to produce 25 tonnes of meat per month.

The rabbit breeders association is upbeat that a funding deal with the banking sector will soon be clinched. – @okazunga.