Opportunities await SA producers abroad

While rabbit production is relatively small in South Africa, there is great untapped export potential, should the industry meet its challenges head-on

- Janine Ryan

Rabbit farming in South Africa has been a niche agricultural industry over the past 10 years, with limited production and markets compared with other livestock industries. However, there have been some notable trends and developments during this period in terms of production.

Despite its somewhat limited scope in South Africa, global rabbit production is significant in many countries. According to the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), for example, 1,48 million tons of rabbit meat were produced in 2017. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that around 1,2 billion rabbits are slaughtered globally on an annual basis.

In 2017, China was the world’s leading producer, with 62,9% of global production, followed by North Korea (10,4%), Spain (3,9%) and Egypt (3,8%). By the end of 2019, the NAMC says, Germany, Belgium and Italy were the leading importers of rabbit meat, accounting for 21%, 19,2% and 9,3% of global imports respectively.

In its report on rabbit meat production in South Africa, the NAMC reports that according to Trade Map, in 2020, the estimated global monetary value for a ton of rabbit meat was US$5 135 (about R81 000, based on the US dollar/rand exchange rate in 2020). However, some countries were paying much more than this average, with Switzerland, for example, paying US$8 644/t (R136 000) in 2020, Luxembourg paying US$8 480/t (R133 000), Lithuania US$6 573/t (R103 000), Poland US$6 420/t (R101 000), and the Netherlands US$6 142/t (R96 000). The NAMC says that in the case of live rabbit imports, Belgium accounts for almost 50% of global imports. Of this, 88,8% is imported from the Netherlands, with Poland supplying 6,7% of Belgium’s live rabbit imports.