Nepali Times

It takes time to adjust to the darkness in a small, dimly lit shed, west of Kathmandu in Balambu. What you’ll find yourself face to face with when your eyes adjust is rows upon rows of furry rabbits.

“Please try not to make them look too cute in the photos, it’ll be bad for business,” says the owner Ujjwal Chapagain (pic, right), not that he has much to worry about. The first commercial rabbit farmer in Nepal has done brisk business of late as consumers in Nepal are quickly developing a taste for rabbit meat along with its associated health benefits.

“Nepal faces a huge demand for meat, but there is insufficient production. People also prefer healthier meats,” explains Ujjwal.

Not surprisingly, this delicacy is in high demand by foreigners. Every month, Ujjwal’s Balambu-based Himalayan Rabbit Farm supplies 150kg of rabbit meat to select restaurants in the Lajimpat, Babar Mahal and Thamel areas, like Le Sherpa, Chez Caroline and Soaltee Hotel.

Rabbit meat is increasingly favoured by those who “are becoming more health conscious, yet do not wish to compromise their habit of eating meat,” says Ujjwal. The protein-rich meat is believed to be leaner, have lower cholesterol and is thus seen as a healthier alternative for those with heart-related diseases.

Besides catering to foreign tastes, Ujjwal plans to introduce this meat into the Nepali diet. He is currently working with Nepal’s largest barbeque chain Bajeko Sekuwa to innovate different rabbit meat dishes.

Eager to tap into this market, many enterprising farmers are following suit. A number of commercial rabbit farms are currently being constructed around Kathmandu. If rabbit meat is properly marketed, Ujjwal believes this trend will extend to other highly populated areas like Pokhara and Chitwan.

As the process is less labor intensive, yet provides high-value returns, some prefer rabbits to trout farming which has also spread on the Valley’s outskirts. It is even preferable to poultry because of the lower overheads.

“In one year, a female rabbit can produce up to 40 rabbits, and the gestation period is short,” explains Ujjwal. The impressively clean farm houses about 400 rabbits of the New Zealand White and Soviet Chinchilla species. The meat is then sold for Rs 800 per kg to the restaurants in Kathmandu compared to Rs 350 for chicken.

The Himalayan Rabbit Farm has already spawned local-level partnerships, where Ujjwal supplies rabbits to farmers in Sindhuli and Dolakha districts. After receiving Ujjwal’s training on how to manage and market rabbits, these farmers are expected to be self-reliant and raise their own rabbits.

Ujjwal is also experimenting with farming rabbit fur (pic, second from left). Given an increase in production, the farm can work with leather companies to produce luxury items like fur handbags and gloves in the future.

Read also:

Green state of mind

Seeing Green