DESPITE having high health benefits, rabbit meat has for years received poor market attention within the country. Experts have so far proved that rabbit’s white meat is rich in calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
But in recent days, rabbits have started to fetch lucrative markets in different destinations, thanks to Dodoma-based entrepreneur Christopher Dioniz.
The young entrepreneur, who possesses a Diploma in General Agriculture from MATI-Uyole Agriculture College, is among the few figures pushing for the expansion of the market for meat from these small mammals.
“I started by educating the public about the health benefits of rabbit meat, while sometimes providing them with free rabbits,” he told Zanzibar news in an interview.
He added that his long efforts to promote the market for the rarely available meat have ultimately yielded successful results.
“Currently, I am selling rabbits to big hotels, restaurants and many other individuals at affordable prices,” he revealed, adding that he normally markets them when they reach at least
With a project involving more than 5,000 rabbits, the young entrepreneur plans to start conducting free training for other youth in the region on professional rabbit-keeping practices.
“Due to the rapidly expanding market, I consider it prudent to train other youth in order to give them a chance to benefit accordingly,” he added.
Christopher said that in his project, he keeps different varieties of rabbits, including New Zealand White, Giant and British rabbits.
Moreover, he said he has started receiving an increasing number of invitations to provide training at various livestock institutions, including his former college, MATI-Uyole.
According to him, the courses he provides include poultry farming, fish farming as well as rabbit keeping.
“I will also continue using different exhibitions to educate the public about the importance of rabbit meat, as well as promote its marketing,” he revealed.
Pertaining to his poultry project, the young entrepreneur’s enterprise focuses on the production of hybrid local chickens through his own-made incubators, each with a capacity to produce at least 500 chicks per month.
Apart from producing chicks, his outstanding self-initiative also involves manufacturing chicken feed through special pellet machines with a capacity to produce one tonne of feed per hour.
“I manufacture and market cages at a price of 800,000/-, while one chick goes for 1,600/-, one egg costs 500/-, and one kilogramme of chicken feed is available at 800/-,” he revealed.
Apart from possessing a Diploma in General Agriculture, Dioniz has also attended various training sessions and workshops on fish farming practices.
In the near future, if all goes well, he plans to start conducting special training programmes to impart young people in the region with different skills and knowledge as part of his mentorship and support initiatives.