July 16, 2011

 

Indonesia urged to delay cattle buying from Australia

 

 

The provincial administration of Indonesia's Bali has urged the central government to reassess its plan to open cattle imports from Australia in October starting with the procurement of 180,000 cattle.

 

I Putu Sumantara, head of the province's husbandry office, said local farmers are now enthusiastic about improving their cattle products and farms following the halt of Australian live cattle imports.

 

"Indonesia must start reducing its dependency on cattle imports. We are positive local farmers can sufficiently supply the country's demand for beef and other meat," Sumantara said.

 

Data from the Statistics Bureau Office shows the number of cattle in Indonesia reached 14.4 million. There are around 683,000 cattle in various small and medium scale farms across Bali.

 

"The price of local beef increased after the Australian government stopped its live cattle export to Indonesia. Local farmers really benefited from this," Sumantara added.

 

The Bali administration is currently carrying out a census to register the number of cattle and buffaloes in efforts to map the island's potential as a self-sufficient cattle supplier.

 

In 2010, Bali shipped 72,000 cattle to several neighboring islands including Java, Sumatra and Lombok islands. "Up to the present, Bali has banned live cattle from entering the island to protect its indigenous cattle species and prevent various animal diseases from affecting local cattle," Sumantara said.

 

Balinese cattle are known to have soft meat and be resistant to various diseases, he added. In 2011, Bali planned to sell 64,573 cattle. "Only male cattle are on the market. We keep cows for breeding high quality babies," he said.

 

The husbandry office has also developed a bank scheme to help local farmers access low-interest loans and financial assistance.

 

I Nengah Geria, a local farmer, said he owned six cattle. "The price of cattle depends on a middle-man. It is far below the official price in the market, often one is sold at half-price," Geria said.

 

He says his cattle are his "savings". "When I need cash for my children's education, then I sell one or two cattle," he said.

 

The price of live cattle is IDR21,000 (US$2.3) per kilogramme. Each cattle may weigh about 300 kilogrammes; therefore the price of one live cattle ranges between IDR6 million (US$703.15) and IDR7 million (US$820.34).