• Rwanda plans dairy council to regulate milk value chain
• Body targets costs, low incomes, weak sector coordination
• Plan supports output goal of 1.32 million tons by 2029

Rwanda plans a national dairy council to regulate its milk value chain, The New Times reported on March 23, citing Jean Claude Ndorimana, Director General of Animal Resources Development at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ndorimana said the new body would address persistent sector challenges including high production costs, low farmer incomes and weak coordination among industry players. “A dairy council oversees the entire milk value chain. In other countries, these institutions are well-established and play a key role in regulating the sector,” he said.

The establishment of a regulatory body could help better structure the dairy sector and support the government’s production targets.

Under the fifth phase of its Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA 5), Kigali has set a target of raising national milk production to 1.32 million metric tons by 2029. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's annual report published Dec. 31, 2025, Rwanda's milk production grew 29.3%, rising from 891,326 metric tons in 2021 to 1.15 million metric tons in 2025.

Rwanda nonetheless remains a minor player in the dairy industry compared with leading producers in East Africa, where the sector is more developed and overseen by regulators. Fresh milk production in Kenya was estimated at 5.3 million metric tons in 2024, according to official data, while Uganda's domestic output reached 5.4 million metric tons. Tanzania, also a major regional producer, reported production of 4 million metric tons in the same year.

In all three countries, regulatory bodies have helped organize the sector and support production growth.

Stéphanas Assocle