NGOZI, September (ABP) – The Terimbere Mworozi dairy cooperative in Mubuga of Ngozi district and province is recovering after two years of working in bankruptcy.
According to Deo Manirampa, accountant of the said cooperative, the years 2022 and 2023 were an ordeal. The cooperative went bankrupt to the point of closing its doors for more than a month. At the root of this bankruptcy, the departure of the PRODEFI II project which initiated and supported the then cooperative Milk Collection Center (CCL Mubuga). This project had built and equipped the CCL. It participated in the organizational supervision, the interest of milk producers, etc. It had even provided the CCL with an important partner for the purchase of the milk collected, namely the company Modern Dairy Burundi (MDB), which transported it to Bujumbura for modern processing.
The bankruptcy occurred with the closure of the project in December 2021. Suppliers who were not satisfied with the payment system for their product quickly turned their backs on the new cooperative. The MDB would soon terminate the contract. The members would not receive the dividends in 2022 because there were no reserves to share. Even employees would experience payment difficulties, with some remaining in arrears for months. The situation would not see any significant improvements in 2023. It was at the beginning of 2024, with efforts from members but also encouragement from the administration, that the cooperative made recovery efforts. Employees and milk suppliers are currently being paid. The purchase and sale of milk is still possible though the expected level has not yet been reached. There is also hope for the sharing of the cooperative’s dividends at the end of this year. Deo Manirampa hopes for support from the Ngozi district administration to counter the leakage of milk via traders who transport it to Ngozi or to other cities in the country such as Bujumbura and Rumonge.