BRIN pushes livestock research to support free meals programme

BRIN head Arif Satria made the remarks at the “International Strategic Meeting on Scientific Pathways for Sustainable Livestock Industry Transformation” at the agency’s office here on Friday.

“This is important and strategic, in line with the government’s efforts to strengthen food security and ensure the success of the MBG program,” he said.

He stressed that the free meals program must be backed by concrete innovation and research.

Satria noted that Indonesia still relies on on external parties to meet national milk demand, making efforts to boost self-sufficiency increasingly urgent.

“At present, domestic milk production meets only about 21 percent of demand, and we are targeting around 96 percent by 2029. Therefore, research and innovation are essential,” he said.

To achieve the target, BRIN is working to improve dairy cattle breeding capacity to increase production and productivity.

In the short term, BRIN is promoting international collaboration as a platform to share livestock technology innovations with industry players from Europe and other regions.

For the long term, efforts will also focus on improving the livestock sector’s adaptability to climate change through research and partnerships.

“Livestock is often blamed for contributing to climate change due to methane emissions. However, through research and innovation, these emissions can be reduced,” he said.

Through a science-based approach, Satria said Indonesia can anticipate climate change impacts while strengthening national food security.

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Translator: Sean, Kenzu