Issues of delays in accessing artificial insemination services, and lack of semen are set to be addressed thanks to a new liquid nitrogen plant which has started production at Rubona research stationin Huye District,.
The move also means that livestock farmers in the south-west will no longer have to get artificial insemination services from Kigali.
Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold nitrogen in liquid state, used to keep safe semen and embryos or biological tissue among other functions. It is safe at minus 196 degrees, meaning that, any change in temperature can impair its quality.
There had been only one plant in the country which once got damaged and disrupted cattle artificial insemination for months, Ngarambe said.
The equipment produces 20 liters of liquid nitrogen per hour and can work for long hours according to needs, said Dr Michel Ngarambe, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI).
Ngarambe explained to Sunday Times that one inseminator uses a container of 2 liters of liquid nitrogen that keep up to 100 doses of semen.
The equipment cost about Rwf500 million, while the whole budget including its installation is estimated at Rwf750 million, Ngarambe said.
In March 2017, lawmakers called on the government to consider setting up a liquid nitrogen plant in each of the provinces to ease access to artificial insemination for livestock farmers.
Their request followed concerns that when the only liquid nitrogen plant based in Rubirizi, Kigali broke down for about six months – from April 28 to October 11, 2016 – it resulted in shortage of semen because there was no back up.
The liquid nitrogen machine, which was bought from the Netherlands in 2009 at a cost of about Rwf500 million, produces about 8,500 litres of liquid nitrogen per month against the national demand estimated at 12,000 litres.
Activists in livestock sector contend that temperature change owing to long distance covered from Kigali to remote areas – such as Rusizi’s distant places – in the country can decrease semen efficacy and contribute to cow’s conception failure. It takes about six hours to drive from Kigali to Rusizi.
Another factor for which legislators blamed low conception rate is lack of required skills on the part of some veterinarians.
Speaking to Sunday Times, the Chairman of Rwanda National Dairy Farmers’ Federation, Gahiga Gashumba, said that in case of breakdown of one plant, it will not affect the entire country because there will be another to offer services to dairy farmers.
"If there is a breakdown of six or even one month, it causes a big loss because there are many cows on heat which need to be inseminated. As a result, people can look for local bulls [to mate their cows], which consequently derails the progress for needed breed. Therefore, the new plant is a timely support to dairy farmers,” he said.
The average conception rate in Rwanda is between 39 and 40 per cent, according to figures from Rwanda Council of Veterinary Doctors, which is still very low compared to about 65 per cent in developed countries. Long travelsto take liquid nitrogen to distant places and lack of practical skills by for veterinarians, livestock actors say, have been to blame for the conception issue.
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