Jean Damascene Niyotwagira, a dairy farmer and representative of dairy farmers in Ngoma District, told the recent National Umushyikirano Council that limited availability of liquid nitrogen continues to undermine access to artificial insemination services.

Liquid nitrogen is used in artificial insemination to preserve semen at extremely low temperatures which keep sperm cells viable for a long time, in some cases, decades.

"Whenever we need artificial insemination, we are told that liquid nitrogen used to preserve semen is unavailable,” he said.

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Niyotwagira added that farmers had been informed about plans to establish a liquid nitrogen plant in Kayonza District to serve Kirehe, Ngoma and the wider Eastern Province, but remained uncertain about when it would become operational.

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The uncertainty, he added, has left farmers without clear guidance.

Speaking to The New Times, officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources said the Kayonza liquid nitrogen plant is coming up this year to scale up bovine artificial insemination.

"The original plan envisaged procurement, construction, and installation starting at the end of 2024, with commissioning expected by mid 2026,” said ministry spokesperson Eugene Kwibuka.

However, he said the timeline was affected by the need for prerequisite studies, specialised procurement processes and delivery timelines for equipment.

"It is now expected to start operations latest December 2026,” Kwibuka said.

He added that the plant will have a production capacity of 45 litres per hour, which will exceed the combined output of the two existing plants.

On artificial insemination infrastructure, Kwibuka said Rwanda has a modern bull centre with capacity to host 30 bulls and a laboratory capable of producing more than 900,000 semen doses per year.

"The first group of 10 bulls was delivered last month and has completed the quarantine period and is now ready to begin semen production,” he said, adding that the remaining 20 bulls will be delivered later this fiscal year.

He also said about 1,200 artificial insemination technicians have been trained and deployed across the country, with training of an additional 1,500 technicians currently underway.

Sperto Gahiga, a dairy farmer and representative of the dairy farmers’ association in Nyagatare District, said challenges related to artificial insemination in his area are more driven by low uptake among farmers than by liquid nitrogen shortages.

"Artificial insemination services are available, but the number of farmers using them remains low, as many still rely on traditional breeding methods,” he said, adding that awareness efforts need to be strengthened.

Ministry data show a decline in the number of cows inseminated from 122,613 in 2022/2023 to 117,105 in 2024/2025.

Kwibuka attributed the drop mainly to inconsistencies in liquid nitrogen and semen availability.