Rwanda wants to produce more meat each year. They plan to go from 207,097 tons in 2023/24 to 247,223 tons in 2028/29. The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) shared this information.
The numbers show Rwanda hopes to increase meat production by almost 20% over five years. Solange Uwituze works at RAB. She said in 2023/24, Rwanda made 207,097 tons of meat. They wanted to make 215,058 tons.
Rwanda didn't quite reach its goal because of a long dry spell. The dry weather meant less water for cows. That led to less meat. The high cost of animal feed also made it harder to produce as much meat.
Rwanda has ideas to help make more meat. They want to set up special places to breed small animals like pigs. They will help farmers use artificial insemination for pigs. This means helping pigs have babies without needing a male pig. They also want to make sure farmers can always get baby chicks for their chickens.
Growing more corn and soybeans is important. Animals eat these plants. If Rwanda grows more, animal feed will cost less. This will help Rwanda make more meat and ensure people have enough food.
Right now, cows provide the most meat in Rwanda. Chickens, goats, and pigs give the next highest amounts. Sheep and rabbits provide the least. People in Rwanda like beef because of their traditions.
Each person in Rwanda eats about 14.8 kilos of meat a year. The world average is around 43 kilos a year. Richer countries eat much more, often over 100 kilos for each person in a year. But in poorer African countries, people usually only eat 10-15 kilos of meat a year.
Rwanda thinks that in the future, they will get most of their meat from small animals like chickens and pigs. Jean Claude Shirimpumu raises pigs and leads the Rwanda Pig Farmers' Association. He said the pig business is doing very well in Rwanda.
Pigs have many babies. Rwanda is using new ways to help pigs have healthier babies. They use drones to deliver special pig semen to farmers. This semen helps make better baby pigs. The government pays for the drone delivery. Farmers only pay Rwf6,500 for each semen dose.
More factories in Rwanda now make food for animals. This helps pig farmers. Mr. Shirimpumu's group works with the government. They want more people to eat pork. They want families to enjoy it, not just men in pubs.
They teach people how to cook pork safely. They built special places to kill pigs for meat. These places are very clean. They even make pork sausages.
Andrew Butare leads the Rwanda Poultry Industry Association. He said it makes sense that Rwanda will produce more chicken meat. You can make a ton of chicken meat in a small space in just two months. You just need to have enough food for the chickens.
Making a ton of beef requires much more land. Rwanda doesn't have much space. As more people live there, there will be less room for cows. Chicken meat also costs less than beef in Rwanda.
Mr. Butare said Rwanda needs to ensure chicken feed isn't too pricey. Good quality feed keeps chickens healthy and helps them grow well. He suggested building big storage places for corn and soybeans. They can buy these crops at harvest time when they're cheaper, and then they'll have them to make feed for many months.
He said Rwanda should grow more of these crops. Right now, both people and animals want to eat them, and growing more will help everyone. Baby chicks are also important for chicken farmers. Rwanda has enough chicks for meat chickens, but they have to buy chicks for egg-laying hens from other countries. Mr. Butare wants Rwanda to start hatching these chicks, too.
The numbers show Rwanda hopes to increase meat production by almost 20% over five years. Solange Uwituze works at RAB. She said in 2023/24, Rwanda made 207,097 tons of meat. They wanted to make 215,058 tons.
Rwanda didn't quite reach its goal because of a long dry spell. The dry weather meant less water for cows. That led to less meat. The high cost of animal feed also made it harder to produce as much meat.
Rwanda has ideas to help make more meat. They want to set up special places to breed small animals like pigs. They will help farmers use artificial insemination for pigs. This means helping pigs have babies without needing a male pig. They also want to make sure farmers can always get baby chicks for their chickens.
Growing more corn and soybeans is important. Animals eat these plants. If Rwanda grows more, animal feed will cost less. This will help Rwanda make more meat and ensure people have enough food.
Right now, cows provide the most meat in Rwanda. Chickens, goats, and pigs give the next highest amounts. Sheep and rabbits provide the least. People in Rwanda like beef because of their traditions.
Each person in Rwanda eats about 14.8 kilos of meat a year. The world average is around 43 kilos a year. Richer countries eat much more, often over 100 kilos for each person in a year. But in poorer African countries, people usually only eat 10-15 kilos of meat a year.
Rwanda thinks that in the future, they will get most of their meat from small animals like chickens and pigs. Jean Claude Shirimpumu raises pigs and leads the Rwanda Pig Farmers' Association. He said the pig business is doing very well in Rwanda.
Pigs have many babies. Rwanda is using new ways to help pigs have healthier babies. They use drones to deliver special pig semen to farmers. This semen helps make better baby pigs. The government pays for the drone delivery. Farmers only pay Rwf6,500 for each semen dose.
More factories in Rwanda now make food for animals. This helps pig farmers. Mr. Shirimpumu's group works with the government. They want more people to eat pork. They want families to enjoy it, not just men in pubs.
They teach people how to cook pork safely. They built special places to kill pigs for meat. These places are very clean. They even make pork sausages.
Andrew Butare leads the Rwanda Poultry Industry Association. He said it makes sense that Rwanda will produce more chicken meat. You can make a ton of chicken meat in a small space in just two months. You just need to have enough food for the chickens.
Making a ton of beef requires much more land. Rwanda doesn't have much space. As more people live there, there will be less room for cows. Chicken meat also costs less than beef in Rwanda.
Mr. Butare said Rwanda needs to ensure chicken feed isn't too pricey. Good quality feed keeps chickens healthy and helps them grow well. He suggested building big storage places for corn and soybeans. They can buy these crops at harvest time when they're cheaper, and then they'll have them to make feed for many months.
He said Rwanda should grow more of these crops. Right now, both people and animals want to eat them, and growing more will help everyone. Baby chicks are also important for chicken farmers. Rwanda has enough chicks for meat chickens, but they have to buy chicks for egg-laying hens from other countries. Mr. Butare wants Rwanda to start hatching these chicks, too.
