Demand for Balinese beef boosts cattle breeders<\/p>\n
By I Ketut Sutika<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali (Antara): The strained relations between
\nAustralia and Indonesia have become a blessing in disguise for
\nlocal cattle breeders.<\/p>\n
The demand for beef from Bali is on the rise because the
\nimport of Australian beef has become unreliable due to the
\nworsening relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Australia has been a major supplier of beef to Indonesia,
\nproviding 60,000 tons, or 15 percent, of the 400,000 tons of beef
\nthat Indonesia consumes annually.<\/p>\n
In fact, Indonesia's ability to import beef or livestock from
\nAustralia has dropped since the economic crisis began in 1997
\nwhen the rupiah plunged against the dollar.<\/p>\n
\"Many Indonesian companies who have traditionally relied on
\nAustralia for beef have turned to Balinese beef which is famous
\nfor its good taste,\" says I Gusti Made Alit Ekaputra, chief of
\nthe Balinese Animal Husbandry Office.<\/p>\n
MV ST, a Yogyakarta-based trade consultancy firm which has
\nbeen a longtime importer of beef from Australia, for example, has
\nexplored the possibility of doing large scale business in
\nBalinese beef.<\/p>\n
The company has also explored the possibility of buying beef
\nfrom South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
\"It is a positive development for cattle breeders, especially
\nin Bali and we have to seize this opportunity,\" Ekaputra says.<\/p>\n
Bali has 202,838 hectares of grassy dry fields which are good
\nfor intensive cattle breeding. A recent study by the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI) concluded that the land is suitable
\nfor breeding Balinese cows.<\/p>\n
Balinese cows are popular for not only their meat but also
\ntheir adaptability to new surroundings and they have been
\nsuccessfully bred throughout Indonesia, notably Sumatra,
\nSulawesi, Kalimantan and Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
\"We are a bit late in anticipating this (the soaring demand
\nfor Balinese beef),\" Ekaputra says. \"It takes about four years to
\nraise a cow until it weighs the ideal 400 kilogram weight and we
\nneed a lot of them now.\"<\/p>\n
The provincial government has made various efforts to make
\nBali a reliable source of beef for domestic consumption. Although
\neach Balinese farming family has only a couple of cows, they are
\nnow learning faster breeding systems and cattle fattening
\ntechniques.<\/p>\n
With the use of modern technology, it now takes only between
\none to two years to have a cow weighing 400 kilograms. A 250
\nkilogram calf needs only one year to reach a weight of 400
\nkilograms. With the use of this technology, the cow's weight can
\nincrease by one kilogram every day.<\/p>\n
\"More and more farmers are trying the fattening technique and
\nevery regency in Bali is making a pilot project,\" Ekaputra says.<\/p>\n
Conservation<\/p>\n
As Indonesia's main tourist destination, Bali is a big
\nconsumer of beef itself. Bali is struggling to conserve the cow.
\nThe cows for export are limited to a maximum of 10 percent of the
\ntotal cattle population.<\/p>\n
In 1999, Bali set 90,000 heads of cattle for commercial
\npurposes. Of the total, 40,000 were sold to outer islands, 5,000
\nfor canned beef and 45,000 for local consumption, which includes
\ntourists.<\/p>\n
The highest demand for Balinese beef usually occurs in
\nNovember and December, especially when Christmas and New Year
\ncelebrations are approaching.<\/p>\n
The Balinese cattle industry has been overseen by Indapta, an
\nassociation of Indonesian cattle traders, which also makes sure
\nthat no illegal business occurs.<\/p>\n
Recently, some Indapta officials have been suspected of
\nmisusing their authority by illegally issuing trading permits to
\nbusinesspeople from Java.<\/p>\n
Balinese cattle now numbers 530,000, according to official
\nstatistics, and the population is growing by 2.7 percent a year.
\nThe population is the fifth biggest after that of East Java,
\nCentral Java, West Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The new trend has become a source of encouragement for
\nBalinese farmers. Now, a live cow is sold at a rate of Rp 8,650
\nper kilogram.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/demand-for-balinese-beef-boosts-cattle-breeders-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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