September 19, 2012
Indonesia to reduce beef imports by increasing domestic production
The Indonesian government is trying ways to curb importation of beef by boosting its production capacity.
Speaking during a visit on Monday (Sep 17) to a cattle ranch in Biromaru, located in the Sigi district of Central Sulawesi, Agriculture Minister Suswono said that he was optimistic that Indonesia "can reduce beef imports by 15% by 2013."
Suswono said that imports of beef in 2012 were still at around 20% of what is needed on a national level, but added that the government was in the process of launching various programmes to boost the number of cattle in the region, including in Central Sulawesi.
The government, he said, was also targeting that by 2014 the country could be self-sufficient in its own beef supply. The government was providing IDR300 million (US$31,000) in aid to each farmer's group developing cattle ranches in the region, Suswono said.
The minister also expressed his pride over the performance of the local cattle ranch that he was visiting. The ranch, located in the Boluponto village of Biromaru, has worked on a successful breeding programme in which the number of cows on the property has grown from a few to 58.
Central Sulawesi governor Longki Djanggola, said that the cattle population in the province was significantly climbing each year.
In 2009, the cattle population was at 200,000 but in 2010 it rose to 210,000.