Why govt is constructing pig abattoirs countrywide

With the demand for pork set to rise, Rwanda is building more pig abattoirs countrywide.

The pig sector in Rwanda has seen substantial growth in the past decade due to increasing demand for pork both locally and for export.

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This has resulted in a nearly twofold increase in the national pig herd, with the number of pigs rising from 684,708 in 2010 to an estimated 1.7 million in 2023, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI).

The country was producing an estimated 23,000 tonnes of pork per year as of 2019, and targets to increase pork production to 68,000 tonnes by 2024.

The new slaughterhouses will work as collection centres of pigs where the pork will be produced and supplied to other areas of the country, according to RAB.

Fabrice Ndayisenga, the Head of the Department of Animal Resources Innovation and Technology Transfer at RAB, said the government aims to increase meat consumption from small livestock farming, including pig farming, to 80 per cent, with cows accounting for 20 per cent.

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About Rwf1.3 billion has been invested in constructing 10 pig abattoirs which have been completed in the districts of Ruhango, Huye, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rulindo, Gicumbi, Burera, Musanze, and Rutsiro.

“The new facilities will modernise the country’s pork industry, increase food safety standards, and boost the economy for pig farmers,” he said.

Each abattoir has a capacity to slaughter about 50 pigs per day, he said.

The new pig abattoirs are part of the $45.64 million (about Rwf60 billion) Project for Inclusive Small Livestock Markets (PRISM) to reduce poverty by empowering poor rural men, women, and youth to participate in the transformation of the small livestock sector.

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“We believe small livestock farming will significantly contribute to meat per capita consumption. Our seven-year target was 150,000 metric tonnes, and currently, we stand at 130,000 metric tonnes. 80 per cent of meat consumption in the country will come from small livestock farming, while cows will only account for 20 percent of the meat per capita consumption,” Ndayisenga explained.

The 10 new abattoirs are in addition to existing pig abattoirs in Kicukiro District in Nyarugunga Sector, Bugesera in Mayange Sector, Gakenke, and Nyamagabe districts while other less modern slaughterhouses are located in Rubavu, Musanze, and Gisagara.

Currently, a Rwandan consumes only eight kilogrammes of meat per year, according to RAB.

Aphrodis Hakizimana, a pork dealer in the Save Sector of Huye District said the new abattoirs have increased trust in pork safety.

“The facilities built in this area are boosting our business because clients have trust in it given that we slaughter pigs that are not sick, thus ensuring pork safety. We are receiving customers from Kigali too because the pork has quality and has been tested for consumption,” he said.

Joseph Uzaribara, a pig farmer and dealer, added: “We used to slaughter pigs in undesignated places, without knowing the health situation of the pig. Currently at the slaughterhouse, we first test the pig, keep it for a day, and we pick the meat the next day. If the animal is sick, they do not slaughter it. They bury it in a designated place a distance away from the slaughtering zone.”

To ensure the meat quality at the abattoir, the pig is received within 24 hours, placed in a special room, and given water. The next day, the pig is taken to a place in the prepared room, where it is slaughtered.

According to Jean De Dieu Bugingo, the project coordinator in Huye District, the slaughterhouse was constructed to ensure that residents have access to safe and healthy meat products, increasing the quality and quantity of pork meat available to the people in the region.

According to the project manager, Joseph Nshokeyinka, the facilities which will be privatised will help stamp out uncertified pork products slaughtered in bushes.

He said that they decided to build pig slaughterhouse areas in Rwanda to help farmers get market and quality pork.

“The construction sites have started to operate, and others are still looking for entrepreneurs to work at them,” Nshokeyinka noted.

The facilities are also expected to boost meat exports. Rwanda’s meat exports increased to $22.3 million in 2022/23 from $8.8 million in 2021/2022.

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Over 8,721 tonnes of meat were exported from the country in 2022/2023, representing a 59 per cent increase.

Pork and beef are the main types of meat exported from Rwanda, with approximately 95 per cent going to African countries, particularly DR Congo, and a small portion to Canada, the US, and the Netherlands according to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).

According to statistics from RAB, Rwanda has a population of 1.38 million pigs.