Milk shortage is slowing the growth of Rwanda’s emerging cheese industry, with producers struggling to meet rising demand amid seasonal supply fluctuations, high feed costs, competition among processors, and limited processing technology. Industry players say demand for locally made cheese is steadily increasing in both local and regional markets, but constrained milk supply continues to limit production capacity across factories. Emmanuel Kageruka, Managing Director of Gishwati Farms, said demand for cheese has consistently outpaced supply over the years, largely due to insufficient milk availability. ALSO READ: Govt to develop quality cheese for export “We started cheese production in 2017 when we were receiving about 1,500 litres of milk per day, but now we only get around 600 litres because competition among processors has increased and milk is shared among different producers,” he said. According to Kageruka, the company requires at least 2,000 litres of milk daily to fully meet market demand. “Every month, we sell about 2,000 pieces of cheese, yet the market demands at least 5,000,” he said, adding that interest in Rwandan cheese is also growing in regional markets such as Cameroon, Burundi, and Kenya. He noted that milk production tends to improve during rainy seasons, which temporarily boosts cheese output. On average, producing one kilogramme of cheese requires about 10 litres of milk, making the industry highly sensitive to any decline in milk availability. ALSO READ: The healthiest ways to eat cheese Beyond seasonal fluctuations, producers point to several structural causes of milk shortage. High costs of animal feed have made dairy farming more expensive, discouraging optimal production levels among some farmers. In addition, increased competition among processors means available milk is split across more buyers, reducing volumes available to individual cheese producers. Limited adoption of advanced dairy and processing technologies has also affected efficiency in the value chain, reducing the ability to fully utilise available milk and by-products that could otherwise support wider dairy production. Danny Twagiramungu, Managing Director of Muhe Farm Cheese Factory Ltd in Nyabihu District, said Rwanda still imports some cheese varieties that could be produced locally if investment in technology were increased. “The demand is there, but the challenge for us is technology. Some types of cheese are imported even though we could produce them locally,” he said. Twagiramungu explained that producing one kilogramme of cheese generally requires about 10 kilogrammes of milk, although higher-fat milk can slightly improve efficiency. However, he added that high feed costs continue to push up milk prices, making locally produced cheese less competitive compared to products from neighbouring countries such as Uganda. “The cost of feed increases milk prices, which then raises the cost of cheese production,” he said. He also pointed to limited use of dairy by-products in Rwanda’s processing industry, which reduces overall efficiency. “In developed countries, by-products remaining after cheese extraction are further processed into products such as low-fat milk and juices, helping reduce waste and increase profitability. In Rwanda, that technology is still limited,” he said. At farm level, dairy farmers say milk output also remains vulnerable to environmental and production challenges. Daniel Sindayigaya, a dairy farmer based in Nyagatare District, said milk production often declines during dry seasons when cattle rely heavily on stored feed, but other cost-related pressures also affect production levels throughout the year. “During the dry season, production goes down because cattle depend on stored feed,” he said. He added that the shortage affects the availability of milk for processing into cheese and butter, especially when demand is high. “The market demand is increasing. Recently, I needed around 40 kilogrammes of cheese but I was unable to produce that quantity. It is the same situation with butter,” he said. Cheese is a dairy product made from milk through a process of curdling, draining, and ageing. It comes in many varieties and is widely used in daily diets. In Rwanda and other markets, cheese is commonly eaten in sandwiches, burgers, and salads, melted into sauces and snacks, or consumed directly as a protein-rich food. It is also increasingly used in bakeries, restaurants, and fast-food preparations due to its flavour and nutritional value. Rwanda’s dairy sector has continued to expand in recent years despite the constraints. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), annual milk production increased from 503,130 metric tonnes in 2013 to more than 1.06 million metric tonnes in 2022/23, before reaching 1.15 million metric tonnes in 2024/25. The ministry’s latest annual report also shows that milk supplied to dairy processing plants increased to 90.2 million litres in 2024/25, up from 83.9 million litres the previous year. Rwanda plans to increase daily milk production by about 135 per cent, from 2.9 million litres to 6.8 million litres by 2029 through improved animal genetics, expanded artificial insemination services, better livestock nutrition, and strengthened animal health systems, according to MINAGRI.
