West Java Potential for Farming Industry

Dependency on Other Areas still High
BANDUNG, There is still a large potential for farming in West Java. Moreover, with the tendency of development of towns and cities in several areas in West Java; meat consumption will also increase.
First Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry of Padjajaran University, Dr. Ir. Iwan Setiawan, D.E.A, said that based on research West Java will change its demographic composition with 70% developing into urban areas.
“This is actually a good opportunity for the people in the farming industry, especially cattle, sheep, goat, or chicken. If production of these four livestock could be increased to demand, West Java could be the strongest national livestock center,” he said in a discussion on West Java farming in the Pikiran Rakyat Office in Bandung on Tuesday (11/12).

It is said that acceleration for farming business and industry in West Java is also supported by infrastructures which in general are already good; therefore it can support the development of the industry which is based on consumption and production. Outside of that, there is also a non-consumption business potential for farming in West Java, which is ram-fighting.
“This provides a business opportunity from breeding and development of good quality rams, where their selling price is also higher compared to normal rams. This potential could be used to strengthen the position of West Java farming industries nationally,” he said.
Head of the Livestock Office of West Java, Rachmat Setiadi, added that improving local cattle production is one way to meat local beef demands. Hopefully this could motivate local cattle farms to compete with other areas.

Dependency
“Higher beef cattle population in West Java could reduce dependency on livestock products from other areas. At least, with development of farming in our own region, beef price could be stabilized,” he said.
Related to the slaughter process of sacrificial animals, lecturer of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bogor Agricultural University, Deni W. Lukman, said that the hygiene still needs to be improved. This is because slaughter in West Java in general usually neglects health and hygiene aspects.
According to Deni, improvement of hygiene could be done of the local government synchronized training since two months before Idul Adha. This is mainly to build communication, particularly with those conducting slaughter.
He recommended that to improve hygiene quality of sacrificial animals, slaughter should be done at slaughterhouses. Besides to put sacrificial animal slaughter in order, the hygiene of meat handed out is guaranteed.
Meanwhile, according to the Chief of Beef Industry Association (Asosiasi Pengusaha Daging / Apdasi) of Bandung city, Endang Mubarok, slaughter of sacrificial animals in slaughterhouses is still not possible, because of insufficient number of slaughterhouses in many cities, including Bandung. (A-81)***

Source : Pikiran Rakyat