Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang

Balitnak Ciawi, Dr. Yono R menjelaskan potensi yang ada pada ternak kelinci.

Directorate General of Farm and Animal Health (PKH) collaborated with University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) to hold a training of Technology Dissemination for Growing Rabbit. The collaboration was intended to support the growth of rabbit farm in Indonesia.

            Around 63 participants were joined the training that was held for two days since Thursday (5/24) at UMM Inn. There were the Head of Government Duty of Farm and Marine and a group of rabbit farms around Indonesia.

            “Rabbit has a big potency to achieve success of the program of Indonesian food tenacity,” stated Fauzi Luthan, the Director of Livestock in Ministry of Agriculture that opened the agenda.

            According to international news agency, Reuters, there would be a huge population explosion in 2040. If in 2011 number of population on earth had reached 7 billion, it was estimated in 2020 would reach 9 billion and in 2040 would reach 11 billion people. Thus, at the time, Indonesian resident had reached 450 million people. It would mean, Indonesia needed around 39% national additional food supply.   

Dr. Yono R from Balitnak Ciawi stated, meat produced from Rabbit was a consuming-secured meat. Besides containing high protein, the rabbit had low cholesterol. Currently, China heavily promoted eating the meat of rabbit. One of the ways was to pack rabbit meat into a snack. Furthermore, in 2020, a Chinese would consume for 20 kg per year. If it would be calculated, raising rabbit far more profitable than raising a cow or a sheep because rabbit had much higher mortality.

“At the age of twelve week, on average, rabbit has a weight for 2,5 kg. If one rabbit delivers 6-8 bunnies in a year and the one really life only 4 then delivers 4 pups again, thus, in the duration of one year, it will result 40 kg of meat. It just only one rabbit,” declared Yono.  

As a reference for rabbit breeding business in nation-wide, UMM contributed by delivering its expert of rabbit breeding M. Sobri S.Pt, MP and the expert of animal tannery Ir. Wehandaka, MM, MP to promote the progress of rabbit breeding enterprises in Indonesia.

In addition, Sobri presented a material about Artificial Inseminations (IB). He said, Indonesia had far behind left with many countries like China and France. Indonesia just knew the material about IB in 2005. Artificial Insemination was a process of assisted reproduction in which sperm was injected by catheter into the vagina so that the success of the fertilization process could be higher and efficient. Sobri stated that IB technology was easy and simple. Then, the participants were invited to have a practice in a hutch.

“The sperm of a male could be used to fertilize 25 females, so it was not troublesome to breed animal. We can arrange the reproductive cycle by a timer and lighting which is hung in the hutch,” said Sobri who got MURI Record of his work on rabbit biscuit (BiCi) and he was invited to China to present his finding.

Meanwhile, Wehandaka explained, beside can be used its feather and meat, Rabbit’s skin also can be used. To add the selling of rabbit’s skin, it is supported with laboratory. Laboratory of skin tannery UMM, he said, could give training about tannery and rabbit’s skin painting.

The tanning process is not much different from the skin tanning of other animals, but in the process of skin painting there were differences. There were three glaring differences between textile painting and skin painting. The difference laid in the use of candle, wax, and to release rabbit skin. In the process of rabbit’s skin painting, person could not use any candles because rabbit’s skin was susceptible toward temperature above 140⁰C.  Besides, when removing the wax, skin was not persistent toward hot water. Though, in the process of coloring, rabbit’s skin painting could use the wax that was usually used in textile because we could play with many colors in it.

The product of painting leather made by UMM students had been examined in Jogja, the leather resulted by our tanning is persistent from the frown up to 20.000 times. Besides, the quality of color water resistant is also had been examined,” stated Wehandaka.

One of the farmer came from Padang Bahri felt happy followed this training because he got much knowledge to raise the rabbit.  

“I have just found out that the rabbit can be said has successful marriage if the male had been sleeping stretch out and the back of the female has wet. In addition, I got much more knowledge about the way to select seed that has quality as well as the knowledge that IB technology could be applied also in rabbit,” he stated.  

“The effort to raise the rabbit was agreed by F.Rizal, a staff of Growth from Cattle Breeding Government Duty of West Sumatra Province (Sumbar). Most people keep rabbits only for a hobby. Recently, there are 50 rabbit breeders that have been detected in West Sumatra. By following this event, it will be a lot of info that could be shared to them,” he stated. (ren/nas/t_vik)