GOVT TO IMPORT BUFFALO MEAT FROM INDIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 18 (Antara) - The government is planning to import buffalo meat from India in an effort to bring down the price of beef at home which is still high at Rp120 thousand per kilogram (kg).          The head of the Quarantine Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Banun Harpini, said his agency is preparing a quarantine protocol in coordination with the Indian government to facilitate Indonesia's plans to import buffalo meat. Indonesia will seek guarantee from India regarding the quality of meat so that it meets the country's requirements.           "We hope the imported product meets the import protocol of the director general of animal husbandry," Banun was quoted as saying by Tempo.com news portal on Tuesday (July 12).          The quarantine agency is, therefore, focusing on cooperation with India on buffalo meat import. The quarantine protocol is expected to be completed later this month.          The State Logistics Board (Bulog) has been assigned to  import the commodity.          President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stressed that the plan to import buffalo meat is aimed at shoring up the meat supply at home and provide consumers with alternative meat. The government will import not only buffalo meat and innards but also frozen beef.            If there are abundant supplies in the market, consumers will be able to buy cheaper meat or viscera as the price of beef currently is still over Rp120 thousand per kg. That is because business players were controlling the price. The imports will be a short-term solution to bring down the soaring beef prices.         In the long-run, the government will do its best to achieve its target to become meat-self reliant. However, according to Jokowi, self-reliance could be achieved in a span of nine to ten years.         "Frozen (cow) sperms must be procured. We have to have at least three million calves every year. So, female cows should be prepared well to achieve self-reliance," Jokowi was quoted as saying by detikfinace news portal on Thursday (July 14).         He underlined that he could not understand why the price of beef in Indonesia was so high. In Singapore and Malaysia, the prices of beef and buffalo meat were lower at Rp60 thousand and Rp52 thousand per kg, respectively. "Other countries can sell meat at a lower price, then why can't  we?" Jokowi questioned.          Jokowi pointed out that the government wanted meat consumption at home to increase from the current 2.5 kg per capita. The present per capita consumption in Indonesia is far lower than 35 kg per capita figure of Malaysia. Therefore, the president hoped that the price of beef would fall to about Rp80 thousand per kg from the present average price of Rp120 thousand per kg.         For this purpose, the government will import frozen beef, buffalo meat and innards. This is intended to induce competition in the market, so that any monopolistic practices in case of meat and viscera can be controlled.        Referring to the protests against the government's plan to import buffalo meat, the president pointed out that Singapore and Malaysia also imported buffalo meat from the same exporter country.        "Why should we not import innards? If the reason is hygiene, the innards at home also come from cattle imported from Australia. We need cheap meat. All of this is intended to bring down prices and increase competition," argued Jokowi.          Legislator Firman Soebagyo of House Commission IV on agriculture of the House of Representatives (DPR) stated on Saturday (July 16) that he disagreed with the government's plan to import buffalo meat from India.         "If the government is really willing to import buffalo meat, it should meet the existing regulatory mechanism. After all, the Indonesian people are not used to consuming buffalo meat," Firman Soebagyo emphasized in a written statement in Jakarta on Saturday.          He pleaded that he is opposed to the plan to import buffalo meat because the decision is against the consumption culture of Indonesians. The Golkar Party politician said the government would import buffalo meat to bring down beef prices at home to below Rp80 thousand per kg.          The legislator said the Indonesian market is not like that of Malaysia where people usually consume buffalo meat. The meat trade structure and needs of the Malaysian market are different from those of Indonesia.          "The government has never considered the interest of cattle breeders at home. After all, if buffalo meat is imported, it means that government will coerce beef consumers to eat buffalo meat," he said.          The legislator said if the government is persistent in importing buffalo meat, it will eventually harm the interests of the people whose life depends on the animal breeding sector.          Firman hoped that the government, before issuing any policy, would consider the interest of the small people.          The Indonesian Buffalo and Cow Breeder Association (PPSKI) has also asked the government to postpone its plan to import buffalo meat from India this month because that country is still not free from foot-and-mouth disease.          PPSKI Chairman Teguh Boediyana said in Jakarta on Tuesday that his organization has sent a letter to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution and Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, asking them to postpone plans to import buffalo meat from India.    "We, the executive of the PPSKI, implore that the government should put off its plan to buy buffalo meat, or at least delay the distribution of such meat to the market," he added.          In the letter, a copy of which was also received by Antara, the PPSKI listed a number of reasons for its demand. It said importing animal and/or ruminant animal products from a country which is not yet free from foot-and-mouth disease, was fraught with risks.          "If such a dangerous animal disease was to enter the country, it will pose a threat to the buffalo and cow breeding sector at home. It will also threaten other even-toed animals such as goats, sheep and pigs," he warned.          Teguh stressed that currently, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has declared Indonesia as free from the foot-and-mouth disease. In the meantime, the OIE Resolution No. 15, May 2016 stated that India is now categorized as being among countries which have not yet been free from the foot-and-mouth disease.          Indonesia as a country free from the disease without organized vaccination will have its status changed from free to not free from the disease if it imports cattle or cattle products from countries declared not free from the disease.          "It will impact and hamper Indonesia's efforts to export various products to countries with a disease-free status when it comes to foot-and-mouth disease, such as Japan and South Korea," he cautioned.***3***A014/INE)EDITED BY INE/H-YH (T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 18-07-2016 22:38:1