Not for chicken-hearted: Try out bunnies!
At a time when the bird flu alarm rings annually and the over-40s shy away from red meat, here’s an alternative.
By Abhijit Sen, TNN |
KOLKATA: This bunny won’t bug(s) you. It would rather tickle your taste buds if you do not mind switching over from your usual lamb or chicken or even turkey as Christmas nears. At a time when the bird flu alarm rings annually and the over-40s shy away from red meat, here’s an alternative rich in protein, calcium and phosphorus and low in fat and cholesterol. And at Rs 150 a kg, it is well placed between chicken and mutton. Meet the Soviet Chinchilla, one of the foreign broiler rabbit breeds approved by Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
These rabbits are grey in colour, have black eyes, are bigger than the pet ones, weigh 2.5-4 kg, love a fight as much as the MiGs do and are, therefore, reared in cages, individually. And since they come from a country that has been a long-time friend of India’s, they are perhaps easy on the digestive system as well.
For entrepreneurs like Sukalyan Roychowdhury, the Soviet Chinchilla provides a hell of an opportunity for good emerging business. Mr Roychowdhury owns Sikerpur Rabbits, the largest private sector foreign rabbit farm in eastern India. Kerala is the only other state that rears these bunnies. Worldwide leaders in this business are China, Indonesia and Italy.
Mr Roychowdhury told ET: “We started with about 167 parent stock pieces procured from Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Now, there are about 1,200 in my farm. No artificial genes or hormones are used. These rabbits feed on green grass, devoid of chemical fertilisers. Only wheat is bought from outside.“ Mr Roychowdhury had set up a stall at the Kolkata Saras Fair organised by the West Bengal government and the Centre. The bunnies there were a revelation. Sikerpur’s weekend sales of rabbit roast, rabbit stew and rabbit chops saw a 17-fold increase over Day One!
These rabbits are grey in colour, have black eyes, are bigger than the pet ones, weigh 2.5-4 kg, love a fight as much as the MiGs do and are, therefore, reared in cages, individually. And since they come from a country that has been a long-time friend of India’s, they are perhaps easy on the digestive system as well.
For entrepreneurs like Sukalyan Roychowdhury, the Soviet Chinchilla provides a hell of an opportunity for good emerging business. Mr Roychowdhury owns Sikerpur Rabbits, the largest private sector foreign rabbit farm in eastern India. Kerala is the only other state that rears these bunnies. Worldwide leaders in this business are China, Indonesia and Italy.
Mr Roychowdhury told ET: “We started with about 167 parent stock pieces procured from Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Now, there are about 1,200 in my farm. No artificial genes or hormones are used. These rabbits feed on green grass, devoid of chemical fertilisers. Only wheat is bought from outside.“ Mr Roychowdhury had set up a stall at the Kolkata Saras Fair organised by the West Bengal government and the Centre. The bunnies there were a revelation. Sikerpur’s weekend sales of rabbit roast, rabbit stew and rabbit chops saw a 17-fold increase over Day One!
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