by Arianne PEREZ

Indo Livestock 2008, one of Indonesia's key platforms for industry players to link up and renew ties, was participated in by 272 exhibitors from 33 countries including Argentina, the United States, China, India, Japan and Malaysia. Organizers said that exhibitors' participation increased by about 35 percent while the number of visitors went up by 25 percent compared to Indo Livestock 2006.

Government officials, animal health professionals, meat processors, suppliers, distributors and farmers interacted in the three-day event held from July 1st to 3rd to gain a much-updated picture on key trends in both the local and global livestock industries. Dr. Ir Tjeppy Soedjana, director general of livestock services, Ministry of Agriculture, said that one of the primary objectives of this year's expo is to boost local consumption and awareness of animal protein in the form of milk, meat and eggs.

This nutrition campaign was originally been introduced in the Indo Livestock 2006 to address malnutrition issues nationwide, the government said. With Indonesia's population rising from 200 million a mere ten years ago to nearly 250 million now, a increasing per capita milk, meat and egg consumption not only ensures the overall health of Indonesians but also invigorates demand for local produced livestock products.

Bustanul Arifin, agro-economist and researcher at the Institute for the Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), pointed out that the per capita milk consumption in Indonesia only amounts to a surprising two drops a day. While this figure is shockingly low, it also provides great scope for huge, quantum expansions in Indonesian dairy output and consumption.