The government through the Centre for Support to Small and Medium Enterprises in Rwanda (CAPMER) is seeking to improve on the transportation and handling of milk countrywide. The move is aimed at minimising milk losses and improving the quality of dairy products on the existing local market.

Pipien Hakizabera, the Director General of CAPMER said that this would also reduce dependency on the importation of milk from neighbouring countries.

Last year, milk importation dropped from 1378 tonnes to 450 tonnes. The figure is expected to further fall this year, while milk production is estimated to hit over 160,000 tonnes.

‘Poor transportation and handling  contribute to the loss of milk produced locally’, he explained, adding that there is need to improve its transportation and handling through the use of modern facilities.

Some of the facilities mentioned include embracing widespread use of metallic cans and refrigerators. Hakizabera revealed this during a dairy sector stakeholders’ meeting recently held at Hotel Novotel.

Participants included milk processing plant operators and farmers. He also pointed out that the improvements also requires sustained government’s support especially in infrastructural development.

The quest for improvement comes after a study commissioned by CAPMER, on the transportation of milk in Rwanda.

The agency’s endeavour is to help Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) owners to expand their interest in this industry which in inturn can  play  an important role in the achievement of the country’s Vision 2020 strategies.

CAPMER  was established in 2000 within the framework of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Integrated Programme for Rwanda. It is among the eight institutions which were recently merged to form the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

According to the study made on 30 farmers, 77 percent of the milk produced is sold through Milk Collection Centres (MCC), 3 percent to processing plants, and 20 percent by vendors.

However, 74 percent use plastic jerricans, only 23 use stainless steel cans, and 3 percent use both stainless cans and jerricans.

The study also shows that about 30 litres of milk are sold everyday per farmer. The report also estimates that a farmer earns on average Rwf12,000 per day or  Rwf436,800 per month from milk sales.

However the report says that poor transportation of milk brings about milk scarcity in some parts of the country with 30 percent of milk sold going bad while 97 percent is not refrigerated.

The methodology of the study conducted countrywide focused on key milk producing districts such as Rwamagana, Rutsiro and Kamonyi.

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