There is almost four times more milk available for a Rwandan to consume than was the case about two decades ago, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ildephonse Musafiri.

The minister said this during the just concluded 19th National Dialogue Council, or Umushyikirano. The government has, for long, urged parents to endeavor to give their children milk, the richest and the most inexpensive source of high nutritional quality protein, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin A, to enable their proper growth.

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"Currently, Rwandans consume milk at a satisfactory level. At the first Umushyikirano [held in 2006], per capita milk consumption was 20 litres per year but now that level increased to 78 litres per year,” Musafiri said on January 23, day one of Umushyikirano.

He commended One Cow per Poor Family Programme, locally known as Girinka, among other interventions that led to the progress. Milk supplies essential micronutrients including calcium, magnesium vitamin A, and vitamin B12, and contributes to a healthy diet, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Improvement in cattle breeds, higher milk production

Rwanda adopted genetic improvements in its dairy cattle, by introducing pure breeds of high milk-yielding cows such as Holstein-Friesian, and Jersey. This resulted in a significant increase in pure breeds, and a major drop in local breeds, as per data from Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).

Also, the country registered progress in cross breeds – through crossing local breeds and pure breeds (exotic or imported from abroad) mainly through increased artificial insemination services. Gahiga Gashumba, a dairy farmer from Nyagatare District, told The New Times that milk production went up, occasioned by development in farming practices including the adoption of cross breeds and exotic (pure) breeds, which are more productive than local or traditional breeds.

Growing fodder and storing it is also an important factor for increased milk production, he added.

He indicated that local cows have a relatively shorter lactation period and lower milk yield (from one to three litres a day) than pure breed cows such as Holstein-Friesian which can give 30 to 40 litres a day, and 20 litres a day for Jersey.

Information from RAB shows that the average milk yield as of January 2023 was 1.5 litres a day per cow in local breeds, 7.5 liters per day in improved (cross) breeds, whereas pure breeds reached 20-30 litres per day, each cow.

Increased milk production

According to data from MINAGRI, milk production gradually increased from over 142,500 tonnes in 2005 to more than 1 million tonnes in 2023.

According to the Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Development at RAB, Solange Uwituze, the practice of zero grazing, forage cultivation and preservation, livestock water harvesting and storage, livestock insurance [that protects dairy farmers from losses] and enhanced dairy cattle husbandry practices, are some of the factors for such a growth.

She observed that the increase in milk production means enhanced milk availability for milk processing establishments, enhanced milk consumption per capita, and higher income for dairy farmers.

Dairy products, coffee shops

Some people are taking milk not necessarily in its liquid form – such as fresh or fermented milk – but in other dairy products such as yoghurt, ice cream, and cheese, according to Gashumba.

He added that the availability of coffee shops in the country also plays a part in milk consumption.

"Coffee shops have so far contributed to milk consumption because there are people who drink coffee mixed with milk,” he said.

Also, he said, market availability and access for dairy farmers encouraged them to produce more milk.

Milk zones – bringing milk closer to people

The establishment of milk zones – or places with facilities including coolers where people can get milk also increased the availability of milk closer to the people, hence boosting its consumption.

Some milk zones, he said, are owned by Inyange Industries – a major local agro-processing firm – while others are owned by milk collection centres.

He cited MCC-owned milk zones set up in trading centres in Eastern Province.

Girinka programme

According to the report by the Ministry of Agriculture for the fiscal year 2022/2023, the ministry continued efforts to contribute to social protection and nutrition through Girinka, indicating that 451,612 cows were distributed through the programme since its initiation in 2006.

Girinka reduces poverty through dairy cattle farming and improves livelihoods through increased milk consumption and income generation, according to the report.

Milk consumption campaigns

According to the MINAGRI report, milk consumption campaigns were conducted to enhance the consumption of milk in communities. Additionally, memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed with different dairy processors for the establishment of milk zones to enhance the availability of milk in communities at an affordable price.

Milk supply to children in ECDs

Another factor for increased milk consumption in the country is its provision to children from needy households under Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) with a view to improve their nutrition.

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ECDs, among other services, promote optimal child development in critical early years, providing holistic access to early learning, and good nutrition to prevent stunted growth among young children.