Burera District director of Agriculture and natural resources highlighted the importance of reinforcing MCCs.

On May 6, a team of experts from UGAMA, in partnership with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), visited the Burera District Office specifically the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources as part of ongoing efforts to clarify and further strengthen the data collection exercise being conducted under the Rwanda Dairy Development Project – Phase II (RDDP II).

This activity, currently underway in 27 districts, uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the performance and needs of dairy cooperatives managing Milk Collection Centres across Rwanda.

During the visit, discussions focused on improving the effectiveness of the data collection process. The experts emphasized their objective of thoroughly identifying challenges within cooperatives in order to propose appropriate and lasting solutions.

The District director of Agriculture and natural resources officially urged the team to place greater emphasis on strengthening these cooperatives by prioritizing support to dairy farmers and improving the overall performance of milk cooperatives.

They also highlighted the importance of reinforcing the cooperative model, noting that many of these entities tend to operate more like companies rather than true cooperatives.