Regis Nyamakanga, president of the Zimbabwe Commercial Rabbit Breeders’ Association (Zicorba), told Farmer’s Weekly the association aims to mainstream rabbit breeding, establishing structured markets, strong genetics, and robust value chains, with participation from both rural and urban producers.
Zicorba also seeks to empower women and the youth through rabbit agribusiness, boost rabbit meat exports, and forge partnerships for research, financing, and innovation to benefit farmers.
Nyamakanga said the idea to form Zicorba emerged from discussions with fellow farmers in 2019/20, leading to its formation in July 2020 to support farmers, boost breeding standards, formalise the sector, and build market linkages for sustainable growth.
He said rabbit farming in Zimbabwe has evolved from a largely informal practice to an expanding commercial industry, with 10 000 farmers participating nationwide.
Nyamakanga said rabbit meat, a prized healthy white meat, is in high demand, with monthly consumption hitting around 10t.
“Rabbits as small livestock align with government’s five-year national livestock development strategy that encourages diversification and economic empowerment through agriculture.
“To support members and new breeders, Zicorba has implemented breeding stock distribution, including provision of imported pure breeds to members to boost genetic quality in the field; training programmes on husbandry, health management and business planning; and the coordination of a national rabbit breeders register to certify and strengthen industry standards.”
He listed challenges in the sector:
- Keeping pace with rising consumer demand amid limited production;
- Ensuring consistent access to quality, affordable feed and breeding stock;
- Enabling smallholders to participate efficiently in formal markets.
He said Zimbabwe addresses these challenges through technical support, training, and innovations in breeding and value chains.
Introducing artificial insemination
Nyamakanga said Zimbabwe is planning to roll out an artificial insemination programme by year-end, spurred by surging demand and productivity goals.
The initiative aims to rapidly boost genetic gains across smallholder and commercial farms, enabling access to high-performance genetics without transporting live bucks, thus cutting stress and disease risks on farms, he added.
Nyamakanga first ventured into rabbit farming in 2002 at his plot in Ruwa, about 25km east of Harare. What began as a hobby, with just 20 breeding does and two bucks, quickly scaled up as his interest grew. Within a short period, the herd expanded to more than 500 rabbits, and at one point reached around 2 000.
In 2019, he acquired a Chivhu farm and launched diversified livestock – cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and poultry but rabbits remained his passion.
“My current rabbitry is based in Harare, where I maintain a breeding stock of over 2 500 rabbits across several commercial breeds, including New Zealand White, New Zealand Red, Chinchilla, Californian, and American Sable,” Nyamakanga said.
“In addition to rabbits, I manage a broad mixed farming portfolio on my Chivhu farm, including about 250 cattle, 3 000 pigs, and several hundred goats, sheep and traditional chickens. Despite this diversity, rabbit farming remains a priority because it offers rapid income turnover, high reproductive efficiency, and immense potential for value-addition and job creation.”
He said rabbits reach maturity quickly compared to larger livestock, helping farmers generate returns faster and scale more rapidly because of shorter production cycles.
Rabbit breeding basics
Nyamakanga said rabbit breeding basics include proper housing with ventilation, predator protection, and temperature control. Balanced feed and quality forage boost growth and reproduction while biosecurity and disease prevention cut losses, and tracking data like pedigrees and growth rates informs sound decisions.
He said focusing on rabbits with strong growth and reproductive traits boosts productivity. Training and mentorship through Zicorba aid producers in improving quality.
“Genetics determines the foundation of any successful rabbit enterprise. Selecting breeding stock with superior genetics drives improvements in growth rate, meat quality, disease resistance, and reproduction efficiency,” he said.
Sourcing quality stock, breeding rotationally to maintain vigour, and tracking traits for consistency – that’s his advice to farmers.
Nyamakanga said Zimbabwe’s first rabbit abattoir was built in 2021 and is situated in the Waterfalls area of Harare. It is owned by Raymeg Consultants, a diversified agriculture and agribusiness group that also is a corporate member of Zicorba.
“The facility, one of the largest rabbit meat processing plants in Africa, has capacity for between 2,5t and 3,5t of rabbit meat per day, and was built to meet export standards, positioning the country’s products to reach premium markets. The abattoir also produces a range of value-added rabbit products such as burger patties, sausages, pies, polony, and biltong,” added Nyamakanga.
He said rabbit farming diversifies Zimbabwe’s livestock sector, creates jobs, enhances food security, and taps export markets, benefitting women and the youth.
