A plant that will process 200 cows, 300 sheep and goats, as well as 200 pigs per day in addition to producing 20 tonnes of sausage daily will be completed soon in Rusizi District, The New Times has learned.

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Construction works of the factory are at over 80 per cent, according to developers.

The first phase of the facility dedicated to slaughtering will cost over Rwf4 billion while the second part, which will enable production of sausage, will cost over Rwf2 billion.

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Rusizi District officials said the factory, owned by Kime Ltd, will boost livestock farming in the district, improve meat and sausage standards, and ensure a sustainable market for livestock farmers.

"We are optimistic that such investment will change the lives of Rusizi farmers, create jobs, and boost food processing in addition to ensuring the quality of meat and nutritious food,” said Anicet Kibiliga, the Mayor of Rusizi District.

Upon completion, the facility is projected to generate 250 jobs.

Nehemie Niyomuhoza, a pig farmer in Gihundwe sector, said that the plant will incentivise farmers to increase livestock production through breed improvement.

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"Realising the need for a sustainable supply of livestock for the factory, we&039;re optimistic about expanding our livestock farming business due to promising sustainable markets and fair prices,” she said.

Niyomuhoza currently raises 10 modern pigs, but the presence of the meat factory could mean an opportunity for her to expand her pig farm. This expansion will also likely attract other farmers seeking new market opportunities.

According to Solange Uwituze, Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Development at Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), the livestock processing plant in Rusizi is among key projects being financed by the government through subsidized grants and loans.

Under the Project for Inclusive Small Livestock Markets (PRISM), the Ministry of Agriculture has mobilized at least 15.5 million euro of investement to finance those in value chain development of livestock in 10 districts under the support of Enabel, the Belgian development agency.

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The meat processing plant, which is being built on 3.5 hectares, will consist of three sections dedicated to slaughtering ruminants such as cows, goats and sheep, and processing pigs while the third section will help add value to the meat by producing sausage.

"The sections were established to respect choices of consumers,” Jean Baptiste Mugambira, Managing Director of KIME Ltd, said. "For the ruminants slaughtering section, there are also three slaughter lines-one for cows, one for sheep and the other for goats.”

Apart from government funding, Kime Ltd raised capital from local banks.

"We got finance from banks apart from ENABEL which gave us Rwf440 million,” Mugambira noted.

Completion deadline

Kime Ltd officials told The New Times that the slaughtering part of the factory will be completedwithin two months, while the sausage production unit will take six months.

"We hope that slaughtering the livestock in substandard places such as bushes or exporting live animals will stop. Farmers and livestock traders will easily have access to the market,” he said.

Rwanda’s meat exports more than doubled, reaching $22.3 million in the fiscal year 2022/2023 from $8.8 million in 2021/2022, according to data from the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).

On export volumes, more than 8,721 tonnes of meat were exported from the country in 2022/2023, compared to over 5,485 tonnes in the previous fiscal year, representing a 59 percent increase.

With the demand for pork set to rise, Rwanda is facilitating the construction of more pig abattoirs countrywide.

Pig farming in Rwanda has seen substantial growth in the past decade due to increasing demand for pork both locally and for export.

This has resulted in a nearly twofold increase in the national pig herd, with the number of pigs rising from 684,708 in 2010 to an estimated 1.7 million in 2023, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI).

The country was producing an estimated 23,000 tonnes of pork per year as of 2019, and targets to increase pork production to 68,000 tonnes by 2024.

Cow population grew from 1 million in 2005 to around 1.5 million in 2022, while goat and sheep population has slightly increased from 3.48 million to 3.61 million in the same period.

In general, the country seeks to reach safe and quality meat production of 215,000 tonnes per year in 2024.