Rearing bunnies is a hobby for many but it is a major source of income for the family of E.M. Paulose, 54, at Thaloor on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border during the pandemic times.
Mr. Paulose was an administrative staff of a textile chain here. He was thrown out of the job a few months ago following the sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases across the State and the resultant closure of his shop.
“As I had been engaged in textile industry for the past 14 years, it was difficult to get a job during the pandemic in our village. However, I could find some odd jobs like applying fertiliser and spraying pesticides in nearby plantain and tea farms a few days in a week, while running the rabbit farm,” Mr. Paulose said.
He started the small farm with five ‘New Zealand’ variety of bunnies during the lockdown last year. Now, he has 65 rabbits in his small farm now.
Rabbit farm is a profitable business as female rabbits produce 25 to 50 kittens a year, Mr. Paulose said. The initial investment cost for rabbit farming is low along with quick returns, about six months after the establishment of the farm, he said . There is good demand for the meat in the market and they also provide income from the sale of kits and manure, he added.
He is selling a pair of kitten at ₹700.
Close to 3,000 workers, including nearly 2,000 women workers, have been depending the textile industry in the district for their daily bread. Only a few establishments have been providing food kits to their workers and the condition of the majority of workers are still quite pathetic, he said.
P. Sayeed , a colleague of Mr. Paulose, is selling fish after he lost his job. “I am getting an average of ₹600 a day from my new job. However, I have no idea how will I feed my six-member family if trawling ban comes into effect from June 9 in the State,” he said.
