Rwanda’s dairy sector is projected to get a boost with the country’s only cattle breeding centre expected to be reinvigorated with up to $13 billion in funding, The New Times has learnt.
The plan to bolster the capacity of Songa Centre of Dairy and Genetic Excellence is part of a Rwf166 billion project aimed at transforming the dairy sector over the next six years.
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The Rwanda Dairy Development Project-Phase 2 (RDDP 2), which was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 30, encompasses various initiatives that will reach 175,000 dairy farmers across the country.
"The overall objective to establish and operate the Songa Centre of Dairy and Genetic Excellence is for Rwanda to have a well-organised, effective, and sustainable cattle breeding system,” said Methode Ngabo Gasana, the RDDP 2 Manager.
"This will avail the best cattle genetics to farmers in Rwanda and for export in the region, resulting in increased milk productivity and resilient farmers.”
With the new funding, the Huye-based centre, which has been operating at minimal capacity, will employ advanced technologies, including genetic improvement techniques such as semen production, embryo production via flushing, in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination, and embryo transfer.
He said the centre will primarily focus on dairy breeds such as Holstein-Friesian and Jersey, although semen and embryos of other breeds such as Fleckvieh, Charolais, and Angus will also be produced on demand.
"We aim to support the conservation of indigenous breeds by producing semen and embryos of Inyambo and Inkungu,” Gasana said.
The centre is projected to be a hub for innovations and best practices in dairy breeding and modern farming.
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Gasana said that in terms of animal nutrition, the centre will focus on improved forage production, hydroponic fodder production, and forage postharvest treatment and conservation.
"We will also implement irrigation and mechanisation of forage lands to ensure optimal productivity,” he said.
"Between $8 and $10 million of the $125 billion allocated for the RDDP 2 project will be used to establish and start operating the new dairy breeding centre,” Gasana noted.
Besides providing farmers with high-quality dairy cattle semen, embryos, and heifers, Gasana said, the centre will also offer tailored training on breeding technologies and dairy farm management, as well as support for dairy performance recording.
"Farmers will be able to join dairy farmers and breeders associations, enhancing their access to inputs, technologies, innovations, and markets,” he added.
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The Songa Centre has already begun operations with a semen production laboratory, currently producing around 120,000 doses per year.
"Once fully operational, the centre aims to produce over 400,000 semen doses and more than 3,000 embryos annually. We will also sell high-quality dairy heifers to farmers,” Gasana noted.
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, more than of 188,000 semen doses were produced, according to Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
"Concerning the demand, we have 617,770 breedable cows but not all of them are inseminated; a good number of them use bulls,” Solange Uwituze, RAB Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Development at told The New Times.