Status, Problems, and Prospects of Rabbit Meat Production in Bay, Laguna

Date

1-2023

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Rei Chino C. Pua

Committee Member

Arlene C. Gutierrez, Renen Szilardo C. De Guzman, Mar B. Cruz

Restrictions

Restricted: Not available to the general public. Access is available only after consultation with author/thesis adviser and only to those bound by the confidentiality agreement.

Abstract

Having rabbits as a source of meat was already present in the Philippines after World War II to help alleviate food shortage. However, the spread of knowledge on proper care and benefits was discontinued. In addition, the popularity of rabbits as pets contributed to the industry not being able to flourish. Now, it is gaining attention again due to recent challenges in the agricultural sector such as rising prices of other meat sources. African Swine Fever, and the lower production caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a noticeable increase in the number of rabbit breeders all over the country who aim to promote rabbit meat production as a viable source of income and as a nutritious alternative source of protein. On a national level, the group is called Association of Rabbit Meat Producers, Inc. (ARaMP). Those particularly in Bay, Laguna, the chosen area for the study, formed the group called Bay Rabbit Breeder. Despite several efforts to promote and spread awareness, further support from the government and other institutions is still needed for the industry to thrive.

The general objective of the research is to know the potential of rabbit meat production in Bay, Laguna. It specifically intends to present the profile of the key players engaged in the industry, determine the current status of rabbit meat production in the area, identify the issues and challenges the key players faced and how they addressed these problems, analyze investment opportunities, and provide recommendations to increase the industry competitiveness in the area.

A descriptive research design was used in the study to determine the current status of the industry. The primary data was collected by conducting a survey with 32 respondents comprising members of the Bay Rabbit Breeders. In addition, a consumer survey was conducted with 30 respondents located both in Bay and nearby towns. Purposive Sampling was used to determine population for the study.

The results showed that through the continuous efforts coming from the ARaMP Inc. together with the support from the government, the number of rabbit meat producers in the country has increased. Given the promising outcomes of the industry, the primary hindrance on the meat’s consumption is the lack of consumer awareness that often leads to associating rabbits as pets, same as the reason why the industry didn’t flourish in the early days. This constraint is one of many carried by the individuals who wanted to use or were at least inquisitive but were constrained by the stigma of eating such meat from an animal that is largely regarded as a pet in the nation. The proposed standardized guidelines for slaughtering rabbits by the Bureau of Animal Industry and the ARamP were approved by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture, which aims to increase the domestic production of rabbit meat. It would seem that the rabbit industry still has a long way to go before being recognized as a major livestock locally, but with the collective effort of numerous rabbit meat producers and the government, it wont be long until the Filipino people embrace it.

The problems encountered by the rabbit meat industry in Bay Laguna were lack of consumer awareness, oversupplying, high mortality rate, increasing cost of inputs, competitiveness between breeders and producers, lack of availability, unpredictable climate, lack of in-depth market research, and the increasing number of rabbit meat producers versus low customers base. On the other hand, the prospects are initiatives by local government units such as training and beginning kits for raising rabbits, boosting of rabbit meat production and distribution for food consumption, finalizing the draft for the guideline of slaughtering, and encouraging the involvement of the academe in the industry. In order to further strengthen the industry of rabbit meat in Bay, Laguna, recommendations were made. For the rabbit raisers, they have to increase their consumer awareness, engage in different online platforms, include value adding activities, sell rabbit meat in cuts, find a consistent market, produce by products to gain more income, continuously sell their products in Tiangges, keep accurate records to determine their current status, and explore and target consumer markets in Bay and nearby towns. For the Bay Rabbit Breeders, it is recommended that they regulate the acceptance of new members and provide better management of current members. For the government and research institutions, they should further strengthen the application of the standardized guidelines for rabbit slaughtering and seek for submissions and presentation of innovate concepts to improve rabbit slaughtering and seek for submissions and presentation of innovative concepts to improve rabbit production operations in the country. Moreover, it is also recommended that an updated statistics on rabbit meat production must be presented to help both producers and consumers gain more knowledge about the rabbit meat industry.

Language

English

LC Subject

Rabbit meat industry

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2023 M17 T65

Document Type

Thesis

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