Restaurants in Pune have added rabbits to their exotic fare as people wary of bird flu consider it a safe alternative to chicken.
As far as exotic dishes go, rabbit meat is a four-hour drive away. Select Pune restaurants, known for the last few years for emu delicacies, have started serving rabbit preparations. Though the dishes cost Rs300 a plate, connoisseurs say they are worth the bucks.
The meat comes from farms in western Maharashtra, which, after the success of emu rearing, have also taken to rabbits. The animals are cheap to rear as they multiply fast and can be bred in kitchen gardens or on terraces.
“They start breeding when they are six to eight months and produce till three years old,” says Vishweashrao Patil, who runs a farm on the Pune-Nashik highway. “A healthy rabbit weighs 2.5 to 3.5 kg and can be sold for Rs250. But after slaughter, the meat fetches around Rs150 per kg.”
A restaurateur in Pune says rabbit preparations are in demand as people, wary of bird flu, consider it a safe alternative to chicken.
“Plus, it is a blessing for poor and marginal farmers who can start a good business right in their backyard.
“Also, banks have started giving loans for rabbit farming and the day is not far when rabbit dishes would be the rage in hotels and restaurants.”
Rabbit rearing started on an industrial scale about 20 years ago in Himachal Pradesh when the government started offering incentives to farmers to rear Angora rabbits for wool.
At present, rabbit rearing for meat is concentrated in Western Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu, with the popular breeds being White Giant, Soviet Chinchila, New Zealand White, Gray Zite and California White.
Seeing its success, rabbit farmers are now demanding a policy from the government for allowing organised abattoir activity.
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