Rabbit farming in India: An overview Bharathy N.*, Sivakumar K., Vasanthakumar P.1, Sakthivadivu R.2 Department of Livestock Production Management, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal-637 002, Tamil Nadu, India 1Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Karur-639 006, Tamil Nadu, India 2Livestock Farm Complex, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal-637 002, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding Author: N. Bharathy, Department of Livestock Production Management, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal-637 002, Tamil Nadu, India, Email: lpmbharathi@gmail
Online Published on 15 July, 2022. Abstract Domestic rabbit belongs to genus Oryctolagus cuniculus which has 38 important breeds and 77 varieties of European rabbits. The domestic rabbit is known to produce quality meat, fur and very fine quality animal fibre. Rabbit rearing has gained momentum in the recent years among the developing countries including India, owing to their small body size, rapid growth rate, high prolificacy, early maturity, shorter generation interval and ability to utilize forage and fibrous agricultural by-products. In India, there has been a rising awareness in recent years on the virtues of broiler rabbit production as an alternative means of alleviating food shortages. India is also one of the developing countries which are also facing meat shortage of 4.66 g/day against the recommended requirement of 87 g/day. In India, the total rabbit population has increased from 424 thousands in 2007 to 591.6 thousand in 2012 which is 39.55% increase in last 5 years. Top Keywords Diseases, Economics, Meat demand, Opportunities, Rabbit. Top |