Nicolas Maduro has revealed a plan to combat Venezuela's food crisis by encouraging people to breed rabbits for meat, but acknowledged a "setback" when participants in a pilot project adopted the bunnies as pets.

Unveiling "Plan Rabbit", the Venezuelan president described it as an "extremely good" initiative to provide an alternative source of animal protein, "because rabbits breed like... rabbits."

The scheme - designed to resist the "economic war" Mr Maduro says is being waged by the "empire" - had however suffered teething difficulties.

The minister for urban agriculture, Freddy Bernal, had handed out baby rabbits to 15 communities as part of a trial, Mr Maduro recounted to much laughter from assembled ministers.

"When he returned, surprise! The people had the bunnies with little bows and they were keeping them as pets," he said.