July 12, 2006
Indo Livestock 2006--small in size, big in impact
An eFeedLink Exclusive
There is one thing definitely on the minds of the Indonesian livestock industry: meat consumption, especially chicken meat and eggs, must go up.
The tone was set by Indonesia's Minister of Agriculture, Anton Apriyantono, as he expressed his hope at the Indo Livestock 2006 opening ceremony on Jul 11 that the biennial event will increase public awareness on "the importance of animal protein consumption which until now has not been realised by the majority of the society".
For example, broiler consumption in one of the world's most populous countries of 224 million is only a low 4.4 kilogrammes per capita per annum, barely slightly above Myanmar's 4 kg, Vietnam's 3 kg and Cambodia's 2 kg, according to estimates by Dr Desianto Utomo, head of the Indonesian Poultry Society.
Apriyantono encourages the audience to support the already battered local poultry industry, which has been hard hit by bird flu in the past few years.
"Lower and middle-income society can regularly consume eggs as part of their diets," the minister says, before walking the talk by downing a boiled egg on stage together with an entourage of VIPs. He adds that the Department of Agriculture will launch a national egg consumption campaign as part of nationwide efforts to educate and improve its citizens' nutritional intake.
"With the abundance of natural resources and labour, Indonesia has the potential to be a country with a strong livestock industry in the Asia-Pacific region," the minister concludes.
Even before its official opening, the three-day exhibition saw a mostly local crowd from various parts of Indonesia such as Bandung, Semarang, Bogor, Surabaya, streaming through the relatively small but elaborately decorated exhibition hall, which featured gold chandeliers and gilded long mirrors that gave a sense of grandeur and a fresh change from the norm.
There are eight Chinese companies exhibiting this year, among which are two manufacturers of feed milling equipment, Jiangsu Zhengchang Group and Jiangsu Muyang Group. Both are at the Indo Livestock for the third time.
Explains Zhengchang's chairman and president Hao Bo on the company's long-standing participation at the exhibition: "Indonesia has a huge population and the potential of its feed industry is rising." He also pointed out that Indo Livestock is the country's only livestock exhibition featuring feed machinery.
However, Hao points out that Indonesia's feed industry still has some way to go in terms of technology catch-up. He expresses hope that, through the company's constant participation at local exhibitions, Indonesia will adopt its feed milling equipment. "We want Indonesian feed millers and farmers to see how good Chinese equipment can be," the outspoken and candid Hao says.
Muyang, on the other hand, has spared no expenses in getting the best exposure for its products. An impressive 100-square-metre booth is Muyang's biggest ever for Indo Livestock, and its latest feed milling machinery is prominently at the convention centre's main entrance. The budget so far? US$30,000.
Shares Liu Guangdao, general manager of Muyang's international trade department: "We achieved US$3 million in sales at the Indonesian market last year. We're aiming for US$4 million this year."
Indonesian Livestock Industry Awards were given out to local companies on the first day. Budi Mixed Farming received the Outstanding Product Innovation Award and SMK Farming Pati, the Outstanding Human Resource Development Award.
Indo Livestock 2006, which is seeing its third run on Jul 11-13, is officially backed by the Directorate General Livestock Services from the Department of Agriculture. The exhibition expects visitor numbers to increase to about 20,000, up 33 percent from its last show in 2004. It has also seen more exhibitors--250 from 25 countries, compared with 230 from 21 countries two years ago.
eFeedLink is participating at Indo Livestock 2006 for the first time as a supporting media and exhibitor. A brand new exhibition image was unveiled at eFeedLink's booth A26, which attracted a steady stream of local and foreign visitors.
Leading by example: Indonesia's Minister of AgricultureAnton
Apriyantono (middle) and VIPs encourage the local
audience to consume more protein through eggs
eFeedLink attracts a stream of visitors with a
new-look booth at the 3rd Indo Livestock
Freebies from exhibitor CJ
Indonesia: fluffy day-old chicks!
