2012 Beef Imports To Be Reduced To 20 Per Cent
INDONESIA - The Ministry of Agriculture has said that it will begin to reduce the number of live beef cattle imported into the country, as local supplies begin the increase. Starting next year, imports of cows to Indonesia will be capped at 20 per cent of total beef animals.
29 September 2011
1 minute read
Currently Indonesia imports 30 per cent of beef animals, which is 430,000 head of cattle a year.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ir Suswono, MMA announced this in reponse to a rejection of the entry of imported beef by Tegal PPSKI.
The Minister of Agriculture said the beef import quota is only to meet the needs of domestic beef demand, as when relying on local cattle it is feared that they would not be able to meet the needs of the national demand.
"Beef imports are a precaution only," said the Minister of Agriculture.
The Minister also stated that based on the results of the Census for Beef Cattle and Buffaloes in 2011, the local cattle population amounted to 14.8 million head and dairy cows numbered 597.1 thousand heads.
When compared with the results of the agricultural census of 2003, the cattle population in Indonesia has experienced growth in each sector- beef cattle by 5.3 per cent and 5.8 per cent for dairy cows.
"The issue to be resolved now is whether or not we are able to set aside 2.5 million head of cattle per year for slaughter. If they are able to set aside each year as many as 2.5 million head, without detriment to the existing beef cattle population, the government is ready to stop beef imports," said Minister Suswono.
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