DPN proposes dairy farming to be prioritised in food self-sufficiency programme

Jakarta - DPN has urged the government to prioritise dairy farming, particularly small-scale operations, in the national food self-sufficiency programme. Chairman Teguh Boediyana stated that National Milk Day (HSN), established in 2008, has been commemorated for 18 years with aims to promote small-scale dairy farming and increase fresh milk consumption. ‘However, as the 18th National Milk Day is marked, the intended goals have not yet been significantly achieved,’ he said in a statement on Monday. Domestic fresh milk production remains at around 20% of national demand, he added, with the dairy cattle population still at approximately 600,000 head and average ownership among small-scale farmers at just two to four cows per household. The government should promptly issue regulations, at least in the form of a Presidential Instruction, to accelerate the development of small-scale dairy farming, which is believed to play a major role in creating jobs—especially for young people—and achieving milk self-sufficiency. Additionally, small-scale dairy farmers should be allowed to benefit from the added value of the fresh milk they produce. According to Teguh, fresh milk from small-scale farmers is currently used only as raw material for dairy processing industries (IPS), with the added value and profits from processed dairy products not shared with the farmers. With the growth of large-scale dairy farming investments, he said there should be an ideal partnership with small-scale farmers, with at least 20% of large-scale cattle allocated to them. The downstream processing of small-scale dairy farming should be accelerated to significantly contribute to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. Meanwhile, given the high cost of imported dairy cattle, DPN has called for subsidies to help farmers expand their herd sizes.