Rat meat may soon be available in hotels as a delicacy. Rat farming, would be given to the poor Musahar community of Bihar as a means for their socio-economic upliftment as well as promote a new kind of food item in urban pockets.
The Musahars, known as the traditional rat eating community and still regarded as ‘untouchables’, usually hunt rats in the paddy fields. The government has decided to engage the Musahars in commercialisation of rat meat for their overall development.The Musahars, estimated to number 2.3 million, are among the most deprived and marginalised section of the society in Bihar. They are yet to taste the fruits of development. They are widely known as rat eaters either out of choice or as compulsion to fight hunger.
Engaging Musahars in commercialisation of rat meat would help create a regular source of income for them.The state government plans to set up stalls in rural fairs across the state, followed by rat meat centres in urban areas.