September 29, 2010

Indonesia imports 70% of its dairy need

Agriculture Minister Suswono said that about 70% of milk consumed in Indonesia is imported because local producers are unable to meet domestic demand.

"Domestic producers are not yet able to meet the need at home, even though milk consumption in Indonesia is relatively low," the minister said Monday (Sep 27).

He said that the per capita consumption of milk in Indonesia was only about 11.9 litres, far below India's 42.8 litres per capita each year.

The minister said that Indonesia with a big population should have a higher milk consumption rate than those of Malaysia and the Philippines which respectively reached 22.1 and 12.1 litres.