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Jersey’s Chief Minister jet set to Africa last week to build trade links and strengthen relations – but now he’s milking the opportunity to see how Jersey cows have been giving Rwandan locals a helping hoof.
Senator Ian Gorst met with Rwanda’s Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Gerardine Mukeshimana, to learn more about how Jersey cows are boosting the economy and improving lives in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Island cows’ presence on the African continent comes as part of the Jersey Overseas Aid-backed Girinka Programme, which has seen over 246,000 cows distributed to vulnerable families since 2006.
Munganyinka:I'm able to pay school fees for my children, connect my house to electricity,milk for consumption&sale thanks to this jersey cow pic.twitter.com/DjkffdWhEY
— Min Agri/Animals Rw (@RwandaAgri) March 4, 2017
It was further strengthened during a Rwandan delegation visit in January this year, when Jersey agreed to send thousands of bull semen samples to the nation, allowing more than 12,000 smallholder dairy farmers to benefit from breeding a more productive herd.
With Jersey-crossed cows able to produce up to eight times more milk than the native Ankole longhorns - which is also more calcium-rich - the move should revolutionise the dairy farming industry, helping to strengthen the Rwandan economy.
This afternoon Jersey's Chief Minister @Ian_Gorst accompanied by Min. @g_mukeshimana visited #Girinka beneficiaries in @DRwamagana pic.twitter.com/cJcR0Vncru
— Min Agri/Animals Rw (@RwandaAgri) March 4, 2017
Following visits to various beneficiaries of the scheme, the Chief Minister commented on social media: “It was a delight to see results of the ongoing work of Jersey Overseas Aid, Send a Cow and Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture to transform the Rwandan dairy industry. I met (Jacqueline) Munganyinka, who says she has improved her family's nutrition & generated income by selling surplus milk. She is also able to pay school fees for her children and connect her house to electricity - thanks to the Jersey cow.”
Rwanda is just one stop along the way in Senator Gorst’s first ever visit to Africa, which has also taken him to South Africa and Kenya, where he has met with financial services CEOs and the country’s Attorney General respectively.
It was a delight to see results of ongoing work of @JerseyOAC #girinka project w. @SendaCow & @RwanaAgri to transform Rwandan dairy industry pic.twitter.com/CpoyirX7Sd
— Senator Ian Gorst (@Ian_Gorst) March 5, 2017
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