EASTERN PROVINCE Livestock farmers in the Eastern Province will soon not be counting losses after the completion of the construction of a milk processing plant in Nyagatare. The Rwf1.3billion Eastern Province Quality Dairy plant soon to be commissioned was built by the government. Farmers who talked to The New Times on Wednesday expressed optimism that the plant would raise their level of earnings from the dairy business. The benefits would also include jobs to thousands of area residents, milk products including cheese, yogurt and butter. The plant has already set up various milk collection centres in the Nyagatare and Gatsibo districts. Farmers described the new plant as a blessing which call for regular supply of milk to ensure regular production. Meanwhile, records from UDAMACO, a farmer’s cooperative union in Nyagatare, indicate that the milk production in the whole region this year stands at over 6.9 million litres. The dairy plant has the capacity to process 30,000 litres of milk per day, with packed half litre of milk expected to cost Rwf280, from the current Rwf500 cost of unprocessed litre of milk. “I am concerned that there is need to triple milk production, and search for more milk to avoid shortfalls,” says John Karambuzi, one of the farmers. Sililo Sinayobye, the acting General Manager of the plant urged farmers to increase their production in order to benefit from the plant. “The dairy industry has previously gone through difficult times, but the Eastern Province Quality Dairy will address these challenges,” he said. Sinayobye said they will work in the best interests of employees and milk producers. The construction of a milk plant has prompted some farmers in the region to buy exotic high milk yielding cows because they anticipate high revenue from milk sales. Mark Tabaro, from Rwemiyaga Sector, observed that while livestock farmers currently sell raw milk at low prices, other dealers sell at reasonable price which earns them good profits. “We have always been cheated, so its time for us to try hard and we get more earnings from our work,” he said. Tabaro got five exotic cows mid this year, but he says there plans to buy more. Ends
