Hats woven from rabbit wool are being bought and sold for 3,000 to 3,500 rupees in the district headquarters of Khalanga.
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While Hat Day is celebrated on January 1, the first day of the English year, hats made from rabbit wool are very popular in Jumla.
This hat is not only in the news, it has also become a source of income for Jumla farmers.
A hat made of rabbit wool is also a favorite when welcoming tourists entering Jumla. Now, hats made of rabbit wool are being worn by leaders, workers, teachers, employees, farmers, and industrialists.
Bishnu Rokaya of Jumla Chandannath Municipality-8 is selling hats made of rabbit wool worth lakhs of rupees every year. Initially, those who were disappointed when he sold rabbit hats now come to buy hats in the village. He said that he keeps more than 60 rabbits for weaving hats.
Hats woven from rabbit wool are bought and sold in the district headquarters, Khalanga, for 3,000 to 3,500 rupees. Earlier, he used to buy Dhaka hats from Surkhet and Nepalgunj and now he is earning money by selling hats made from rabbit wool that he keeps at home. He said that he used to weave at least 8 hats a month and was earning up to 25,000 rupees a month.
He said that this hat is used in auspicious functions in the village as well as farewells and receptions in the district headquarters, Khalanga. The custom of welcoming high-ranking officials and distinguished persons who visit Jumla as guests with hats made of rabbit wool has increased.
He said that the rabbit hats made here have even reached Nepali Communist Party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The hats made of rabbit wool produced by farmers are transported to the market by the Chandannath Multipurpose Cooperative. Krishiram Pandey, executive manager of the cooperative, said that the demand for the hats has not been met. The highest demand comes from Kathmandu, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Surkhet and other places.
Kali Bahadur Bhandari of Chandannath Municipality-8, Jumla is struggling to knit a hat. Kali Bahadur, the owner of 55 rabbits, is knitting a hat from wool. He says that he has been raising rabbits for more than 22 years and knits one hat from the wool of four rabbits. He said, ‘Earlier, there was a lot of talk about hats made of wool. Now, there is a high demand for hats made of wool from rabbits.’
Gyanendra Buddhapa, head of the Animal Hospital and Animal Services Office, said that rabbits are raised in Chandannath Municipality and Kanakasundari Rural Municipality. The Animal Hospital and Animal Services Office has data that hats worth Rs 7 million were sold last year. ‘Farmers knit them themselves and deliver them to the local organic goods sellers. Koseli households have been delivering them to the market,’ said office chief Budthapa, ‘there is a tradition of taking and sending their rabbit hats as souvenirs.’
He said that 1,415 rabbits are kept in Jumla. All the rabbits are kept for weaving hats from wool.
