Milk shortages are slowing the growth of Rwanda's emerging cheese industry, with producers struggling to meet rising demand amid seasonal supply fluctuations, high feed costs, and limited processing technology.
Industry players say demand for locally made cheese is increasing in both local and regional markets, but limited milk supply continues to constrain production.
Emmanuel Kageruka, Managing Director of Gishwati Farms, said the company has seen demand consistently outgrow supply over the years.
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"We started cheese production in 2017 when we were receiving about 1,500 litres of milk per day, but now we only get around 600 litres because competition among processors has increased and milk is shared among different producers," he said.
According to Kageruka, the company requires at least 2,000 litres of milk daily to meet market demand.
"Every month, we sell about 2,000 pieces of cheese, yet the market demands at least 5,000," he said.
He added that other countries including Cameroon, Burundi, and Kenya have also shown growing interest in Rwandan cheese products.
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Kageruka noted that milk production improves during rainy seasons, helping boost cheese output. Producing one kilogramme of cheese requires roughly 10 litres of milk.
Danny Twagiramungu, Managing Director of Muhe Farm Cheese Factory Ltd in Nyabihu District, said Rwanda still imports some cheese varieties that could potentially be produced locally if the country invested in better processing technology.
"The demand is there, but the challenge for us is technology. Some types of cheese are imported even though we could produce them locally," he said.
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Twagiramungu explained that producing one kilogramme of cheese generally requires about 10 kilogrammes of milk, although higher-fat milk can slightly improve efficiency.
He said high animal feed costs continue to push up milk prices, making locally produced cheese less competitive compared to products from neighbouring countries such as Uganda.
"The cost of feed increases milk prices, which then raises the cost of cheese production," he said.
Twagiramungu also pointed to limited use of dairy by-products in Rwanda's processing industry.
"In developed countries, by-products remaining after cheese extraction are further processed into products such as low-fat milk and juices, helping reduce waste and increase profitability. In Rwanda, that technology is still limited," he said.
Meanwhile, Daniel Sindayigaya, a dairy farmer based in Nyagatare District said milk production often declines during dry seasons when cows rely heavily on stored feed.
"During the dry season, production goes down because cattle depend on stored feed," he said.
He noted that the decline affects the amount of milk available for processing into products such as cheese and butter.
"The market demand is increasing. Recently, I needed around 40 kilogrammes of cheese but I was unable to produce that quantity. It is the same situation with butter," he said.
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Rwanda's dairy sector has continued to expand in recent years. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), annual milk production increased from 503,130 metric tonnes in 2013 to more than 1.06 million metric tonnes in 2022/23, before reaching 1.15 million metric tonnes in 2024/25.
The ministry's latest annual report also shows that milk supplied to dairy processing plants increased to 90.2 million litres in 2024/25, up from 83.9 million litres the previous year.
Rwanda plans to increase daily milk production by about 135 per cent, from 2.9 million litres to 6.8 million litres by 2029 through improved animal genetics, expanded artificial insemination services, better livestock nutrition, and strengthened animal health systems, according to MINAGRI.
