Patna, (Bihar Times): Rats are eaten by the lowest of the low in Bihar. Their very name, Mushars, means rat-eaters. Many people still look down upon them as they are considered as untouchable. They are also called Bhuyan.
But now in this world of fast changing food habit rat would be in the menu of five-star hotels of Bihar. A different type of rat-eating community is likely to come up soon. If the media reports are to be believed the state government has adopted two-in-one formula to overcome the global food crisis. Rat-eating, it is argued, would not only solve the problem of hunger, but would also prevent loss of foodgrains. Officials of the state say that about half of the state’s foodgrains stock are eaten up rodents every year.
Rat-eating will be promoted in all the eateries, five-star hotels, restaurants, roadside motels and dhabas. It is being argued that rat meat has high protein content, so it is nutritious. India, with 1.10 billion human population, is estimated to have eight billion rats. Thus there are about seven rats per person.
State’s social welfare department secretary, Vijay Prakash, was quoted in Kolkatabased daily, The Statesman, as saying: “Rat meat has huge potential to be developed into a popular dish which, if extensively commercialized will tackle almost 50 per cent of the food crisis in the country”. He also said that his department plans to organize food festivals, set up stalls at various locations to sell rat meat and train hotels in ways of making tasty rat meat dishes.
“Many of the reputed hotels in foreign countries have rat meat as an important part of the menu. We will interact with these hotels to teach us how to adapt our cuisine to this meat. We intend to make it a household item very soon here”, he said.
Rat meat is becoming popular in southern India and has its impact on the demand of chicken. The social welfare department plans to popularize rat farming on the lines of chicken and fish farming. Some field rats weigh as much as three kilograms and if a poor rat-catcher can nab three or four rats a day and sell the meat for Rs 50 per kg, he could lift his family out of poverty, Prakash told the daily.
What he left unsaid is: what will happen to cats of the state?
