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Beef Import will be Evaluated Every 3 Months
Jakarta - The Ministry of Agriculture will evaluate the progress of beef import every 3 months in order to anticipate illegal entry of foreign products.
Agriculture Minister, Suswono, in Jakarta on Sunday (10/4) said that beef import has reached 26,000 tons of the 72,000 ton quota this year.
”We will evaluate it every 3 months. We will also control it each month to prevent illegal entry,” he said.
Suswono said that in 2011, the estimated beef demand is 423,000 tons with a 25% import target.
The government targets to reduce beef import gradually to achieve beef self-sufficiency by 2014. Beef import will only be applied for 10% of the national demand.
To fill in the domestic demand, the Ministry of Agriculture will optimize supplies from local farmer.
”The government will reduce the amount of beef import to a quarter of the national need. We’ll also try to achieve beef self-sufficiency if possible,” Suswono said.
The government will taper off beef import by 5 percent each year.
Data from the Directorate General of Animal Husbandry and Health, Ministry of Agriculture, indicates this year’s beef demand will reach 424,000 tons with 316,100 tons supplied by local cattle and 119,703 tons supplied from feeder cattle, which is equivalent to 665,000 heads of cattle.
Beef import will supply 60,000 tons, with an additional 7,000 tons for import reserve.
The Agriculture Minister also said the office plans to hold a livestock census starting in June 2011. The census will provide an accurate count of the cattle population in Indonesia.
Currently it is estimated that Indonesia has a population of 12 million cattle, but the accuracy is still questionable. (Ant/Ol-3)
Source : Media Indonesia