What is the place and importance of milk in Rwandan society?Milk is food. It is medicine. It is part of people who want to be healthy. In Rwanda, we say milk is wealth. It is a traditional health drink. Historically, if you visited someone, they welcomed you with milk, not water. Milk was the only known remedy for food poisoning. In our traditional marriages, milk was used in ceremonies like gutwikurura, where relatives presented a newly married couple a vessel of milk to wish them wealth and prosperity. How many cows would you take for your daughter’s dowry?I was given three good Friesians as dowry when my daughter got married. Traditionally, dowry was a sign of appreciation to the in-laws for raising a good daughter. I think it is more about the attitude of the giver than the gift itself.How did your journey into the dairy sector start?I joined the milk business as an agent for Abaderes, the company that makes UHT milk from Kenya. I was distributing milk mainly to Mozambique and Dar es Salaam. I quickly gained experience and fell in love with milk. In Dar es Salaam, I had two go-downs where I stored the milk. I used an agent who made deliveries to stores and supermarkets.In Kenya, I discovered that the people love milk more. Their milk is cheaper, and they consume it in more ways than people do here. For instance, they can use it as sauce to accompany ugali.When I returned to Rwanda, I found it worth continuing with the business, this time selling Rwandan milk. I deal in both fresh milk and Ikivuguto.Our president has been empowering citizens and demonstrating the importance of milk through the girinka munyarwanda scheme, and it is our hope that we will soon get there as far as milk consumption is concerned.
