Emerging Value Chain
Rabbit Farming: a Natural Next Step After Poultry
Cuniculture is part of the broader direction we are exploring for the Orora portfolio. It follows our poultry anchor and builds on the same disciplines: quality feed, biosecurity, veterinary supervision and structured smallholder inclusion.
- Affordable protein
- Fast-cycle livestock
- Smallholder-friendly
Why rabbits matter for Burundi
Rabbit meat is a lean, high-quality animal protein that fits naturally into Burundian diets and household economies. Rabbits convert locally available forage and compound feed efficiently, reproduce quickly and need limited space, which makes them well suited to smallholder and peri-urban settings.
For a country working to strengthen food and protein security, cuniculture offers a complementary pathway alongside poultry. It can broaden the protein base available to families and create an additional, fast-turning source of income for rural households, women and youth who already keep small livestock at home.
We see rabbit farming as a sensible extension of Orora's mission: competitive, transparent and inclusive agro-industrial activity that puts nutrition and producer livelihoods at the centre. It is described here as a future direction, not an operational commitment.
What an Orora rabbit value chain would build on
Cuniculture would draw on the same operating disciplines that anchor our poultry and feed activities, adapted to the specific needs of rabbits.
Breeding and stock
Sound genetics, careful selection and good husbandry practices to support healthy, productive breeding lines and reliable young stock for participating producers.
Quality-controlled feed
Rabbits need balanced, fibre-rich nutrition. Our industrial feed capability gives Orora the foundation to develop quality-controlled rabbit feed alongside poultry, ruminant and fish formulations.
Veterinary and animal health
Preventive health, biosecurity routines and veterinary supervision would protect flocks against the diseases that most affect rabbit productivity, in line with our emerging animal-health services.
Training and extension
Practical, hands-on training in housing, feeding, hygiene and breeding cycles so that producers can raise rabbits to a consistent standard and treat the activity as a real commercial enterprise.
Inclusion, not charity
Consistent with how Orora works across its value chains, smallholders would be engaged as active commercial partners rather than passive beneficiaries. The aim is predictable producer economics, fair access to inputs and a clear route to market.
Attention to gender and youth is central: rabbit rearing is accessible to households with limited land and capital, which makes it a practical entry point for women and young people seeking a productive, income-generating activity.
- Producers as commercial partners
- Access to quality inputs and know-how
- A pathway toward dependable income
- Designed to include women and youth
A staged, poultry-first pathway
Rabbit farming is positioned as an emerging chain that follows the poultry anchor. The sequence below is indicative of how it could develop, with no dates or commitments attached.
- 1
Consolidate the poultry anchor
Our immediate priority remains modern poultry and the industrial feed mill at the Ex-ALCOVIT site. A strong, proven anchor is what makes responsible expansion into new chains possible.
- 2
Develop the feed and health foundation
Quality-controlled rabbit feed and veterinary protocols would be developed and validated, drawing on the same industrial and animal-health capabilities that serve our poultry operations.
- 3
Pilot and demonstrate
A controlled demonstration and training approach would allow us to refine breeding, feeding and biosecurity practices and to build practical extension material for producers.
- 4
Structured rollout with partners
Where results justify it, the activity could be opened to smallholders and partners under the same inclusive, transparent principles that guide the rest of the Orora portfolio.
A future direction, described honestly
Cuniculture is part of the broader portfolio direction we are exploring; it is not yet an operational line of business, and we make no commitments on timing, scale or location. Poultry remains the immediate anchor that everything else follows.
If you are a landowner, investor, producer or partner interested in rabbit farming as it develops, we would be glad to hear from you and to keep you informed as our plans take shape.
Register your interest in rabbit farming
Tell us a little about yourself and how you would like to be involved. We will keep your details on file and reach out as the rabbit value chain advances.
Grow with Orora as new value chains emerge
Poultry is our anchor today; cuniculture is part of where we are heading. Connect with us to explore how you could take part as the portfolio expands.