Rwanda celebrates World Milk Day 2023

By Elias Hakizimana.

Rwanda joins the rest of the World to celebrate World Milk Day 2023, committing to increase the diary production and reduce malnutrition rate by helping school children to get a cup of milk to supplement their diet.

The day is celebrated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) in partnership with Rwanda National Diary Platform (RNDP).

Feeding milk to children aimed at improving their livelihoods and driving social impacts around the diary sector.

“Celebrating the World Milk Day by sharing milk with children is to support the solidarity culture to complement the Government of Rwanda’s school feeding program,” says Jean Claude Ndorimana, Director General of Animal Resources Development in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI).

He adds that giving children milk especially pre-primary school children improves nutritional status and ensures growth and sustainable development of the nation as the future relies on youth and children.

Jacqueline Mukandoli, a teacher at G.S Camp Kigali in Nyarugenge district says that they have been giving milk to children at school since the past two years and the initiative has drastically reduced school dropouts and absenteeism as every child is motivated to go to school.

“I teach 60 children in Primary 1, they all attend the class since this program introduced and the impacts are positive. A child who drinks milk grows healthy with a smooth skin and milk consumption among children improves academic performance as milk is reach in proteins,” Mukandoli says.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources with the Ministry of Education have a plan to spread milk coolers to schools nationwide to help children get milk at the lower cost.

Trends and projections in dairy produce

The national milk production has increased from 142,511 Metric Tons in 2005 to almost 1 billion Metric Tons in 2022 and is expected to reach 1,274,554 Metric Tons of milk per year by 2024 as per the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1).

The government of Rwanda and development partners have deployed efforts to establish Milk Collection Centers (MCCs) to assure a smooth gathering and quality testing of produced milk as well as dairy processing establishments for value addition.

Presently, according to MINAGRI, the country counts a total of 132 MCCs with a total milk cooling capacity of 483,000 L scattered in different districts; and 50 dairy processing units including 7 large processing plants and 43 Dairy Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with total processing capacity of 254,000 liters per day.

Dairy production rise from the farmer level

Agnes Mukangiruwonsanga, the president of IAKIB cow farmers’ cooperative in Gicumbi district appreciates the role of the Government in helping farmers to regain cattle after the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994.

The mother of six started with one cow given through the Heifer Project International (HPI) and has now 10 cows of frizones and jerseys and among them 4 are producing milk.

“I have managed to pay school fees for my children until university, in the last couple of years, I could take 22 to 27 liters of milk and this quantity increased to 50 liters to the MCC. Our cooperative members increased from 200 to 4004, we have 9 MCCs and a good office,” Mukangiruwonsanga adds.

In respect of the growing milk production, the Government of Rwanda has invested in the establishment of a milk powder processing plant with a processing capacity of more than 600,000 liters a day, and its launch is scheduled in August 2023. The plant is expected to guarantee a sustainable market to the available milk production and enhance the availability of quality and safe milk to the national and regional market as well.

According to Dr. Solange Uwituze, the Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Research and Technology Transfer at Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), RDDP helped in the development of dairy value chain whereby 8,750 farmers were trained on best practices of cow farming, boosting both quantity and quality of milk.

“Among the available 132 big MCCs and 100 small MCCs in the country, RDDP also built around 50 percent of them,” Uwituze said.

Cow distribution to smallholder farmers

In order to boost dairy produce, Rwanda Diary Development Project (RDDP) distributed 4,000 dairy cows (4000 heifers in calf) mainly to smallholder farmers. Thus, it helped increase milk production and curb poverty. RDDP supported in establishing milk zones/kiosks/bars (private and public).

RDDP, in collaboration with RNDP, has established 20 milk zones in Gicumbi, Musanze, Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro, Huye, Nyanza, Ruhango, Nyagatare, Kayonza, and Rwamagana districts to increase milk consumption in the country. The milk zones are now operational.

In 2022, Rwanda distributed 1,517,000 cows, of which 88 percent are dairy cows.

The national milk consumption rate has increased from 21 liters per person per year in 2006 to 75.3 liters per person per year in 2021.

 

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