Rwanda’s Dairy Sector Celebrates the Successes of a 5-year Dairy Program

Rwanda’s dairy community and partners met on December 8, 2016 at Kigali Serena Hotel to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Rwanda Dairy Competitiveness Program II. The $15 million USAID-funded program was implemented by Land O’Lakes International Development.

The 5-year program aimed to improve national milk quality while modernizing Rwanda’s dairy production and growing the dairy market. By all metrics, the program was a marked success. It created over 12,000 jobs in the dairy sector, and generated a $66 million increase in revenue for Rwandan dairy farmers.

Rwanda now produces 600,000 metric tons of milk annually, an increase of more than 300 percent in less than a decade.

The Rwanda Dairy Competitiveness Program II also enhanced the quality of milk in Rwanda by promoting the National Seal of Quality, and increased national demand for high quality dairy products with the Shisha Wumva ‘Feel the Goodness’ campaign.

At the event, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Jean Claude Kayisinga, thanked USAID and Land O’ Lakes for their dedication to Rwanda’s development.

The Permanent Secretary also noted that the linkage between the government’s Girinka program and the Rwanda Dairy Competitiveness Program II (RDCPII) has enabled rural farmers to increase their capacity to follow milk quality standards and access dairy markets; thus creating a sustainable impact.

“RDCP II’s support to increase milk consumption through “Shisha Wumva” campaign complemented the Government of Rwanda’s ‘One Cup of Milk per Child’ program, with increased per capita consumption now estimated at 59L,” pointed out PS Kayisinga, adding that this also contributes to ongoing efforts to reduce malnutrition.

Marcia Musisi-Nkambwe, USAID Mission Director in Rwanda, celebrated the breadth of the program’s accomplishments.

“We are pleased to have supported the rapid transformation of Rwanda’s dairy sector, which has tripled the production of high quality milk since USAID stepped up efforts to fund the sector in 2007. It’s a tremendous achievement,” she said.

Dennis Karamuzi, the project’s Chief of Party, stated “Not only have we helped to transform the dairy sector into a competitive industry, but also we’ve improved the lives of more than 63,000 individuals.”

He also remarked that sustaining these laudable achievements will be key to continuing the dairy sector’s rapid growth. Land O’Lakes urged all participants at the event to continue working collectively, from milk producers to dairy processors, transporters, and consumers.

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