The Department of Agriculture of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in the Effia-Kwesimintsim municipality of the Western Region says rabbit rearing is a prospective venture to grow the economy.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times yesterday, the Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mr John KwaminaGyimah, encouraged residents to venture into the rearing of rabbits.
"Rabbits are referred to as white diamond. Rabbit rearing is one of the quickest means of making money within a short period. Therefore, rabbits could be described as solid starters of enterprises," he added.
Mr Gyimah explained that, the prospective farmer required a minimal capital of less than GH¢ 400to start rabbit even at the backyard.
He said the gestation period of rabbit was 30 days, which implied that, it littered four times in a year, taking into consideration the weaning period and that for female, to re-organise itself for the next pregnancy.
"Besides, rabbits are small in size and need comparatively little space to begin the farm," the expert said.
"Additionally, in well-managed commercial rabbit farming, the enterprise can repay its entire initial investment in a year. Nutritionally, it is high in protein compared to most domestic animals. Rabbits are indeed lean in protein which makes them even lower in fat than chicken," he said.
For their feeding, he indicated, rabbits thrived on several feeds including leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, corn, wheat bran, corn chaff, rice bran, soya bean meal, centrocema, peurarea, and sweet potato leaves.
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On housing, he said "For commercial purposes, rabbits are supposed to be kept in wooden or metal hutches and could be reared in two or three tier wooden cages with solid base .The animals normally require small space because of their body size. A 15 chamber with a three- tier cage can house about 45 rabbits at a time."
The Department of Agriculture, Mr Gyimah mentioned, embarked on rabbit rearing to promote urban agriculture, enhance food security and job creation through innovative technologies in the Effia-Kwesimintsim municipality and beyond.
"EKMA was carved out of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (EKMA) and established in April, 2018. Since then, we have always aspired to promote urban agriculture to create jobs, income growth and improve the living standards of the people.
"The department created the innovation with the aim to embark on serious climate smart agricultural activities to reduce the effect of climate change on the sector."
Additionally, the department carried out activities to compliment the government's agenda of creating jobs within the agricultural space," Mr Gyimah told the Ghanaian Times.
