CIBITOKE, February 7th (ABP) – On Saturday 1 February 2025, the Burundian Head of State, Evariste Ndayishimiye, officially inaugurated the Muyange rabbit breeding center in the commune of Mugina, province of Cibitoke.
That is the first regional rabbit breeding center to house a better breed of imported rabbits. A total of 308 rabbits, made up of 266 females and 42 males, were imported, it was learnt on site.
The President of the Republic thanked all the partners who had contributed to that major project.
Addressing the population, the Head of State urged the people of the Mugina commune to get involved in rabbit farming and to take advantage of the benefits of that center, which has been set up in their area, so that they can be the first to benefit from that improved breed with its exceptional reproductive capacity.
In that way, it will be easy for them to achieve the objective of having money for every pocket and enough to eat,” emphasized President Ndayishimiye. According to Désiré Manirakiza, Coordinator of the PAEEJ Youth Economic Empowerment and Employment Programme, which financed the ‘Sungura Net’ cooperative, the official inauguration of that center follows on from many activities carried out over the past two years to support the Head of State’s vision of improving the standard of living and income of Burundians by introducing rabbit farming. That will create opportunities for employment and income.
Mr. Manirakiza pointed out that that was the culmination of a process that began with the identification of partners, including the main partner Ibidum Farming, which provided support until it met other partners, such as those specialising in the manufacture of rabbit cages and food.
The opening of the center marks the start of quality rabbit breeding in Burundi, he said.
The 308 rabbits, which arrived in Burundi without a hitch after a 48-hour journey, have a breeding capacity of 8,700 rabbits every 42 days, which automatically means 50,000 rabbits a year. With that, 10,000 households or young people will be served each year with five rabbits per household,” he concluded.
With regard to the level of adaptation of those rabbits, an expert in rabbit genetics pointed out that they are capable of living in environments with temperatures varying between 22 and 28 degrees.