Duck farmers to get more attention

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has decided to help boost the farming sector by setting up several schemes in an effort to enhance residents' welfare, an official said on Tuesday.

"The city administration has, for instance, provided loans in the form of 1,000 ducks and feed to groups of duck farmers for a two-month period," head of the city's animal husbandry agency's planning section, Agung Priambodo, said.

The first batch was handed over recently to 18 groups of farmers in the capital.

"Eleven groups of 160 farmers in North Jakarta and seven other groups of 100 people in East Jakarta have benefited," Agung said.

During the two-month period, the first recipient groups collect eggs and ducklings from the 1,000 ducks before handing them over to another groups of farmers.

"It is expected that the next group will receive the 'loan' next month," Agung explained.

According to data from the city administration, Jakarta, particularly its suburbs, is home to some 780 farmers in 52 groups, who currently raise some 61,000 ducks.

Almost half of the farmers live in North Jakarta. Thirteen other groups reside in West Jakarta, 11 in East Jakarta and the remaining four in South Jakarta.

Agung said his office would also train the farmers how to prepare alternative food for their ducks.

"The farmers will be taught how to make use of market garbage, such as vegetable leftovers and fish heads, in feeding their ducks," he said.

Up until now, he said, most of the farmers in the capital used expensive ready-to-eat duck food made of corn, bungkil (soybean) and dedak (a by-product of rice milling).

"Farmers in North Jakarta will benefit from this program as they live closer to the fishermen's villages where they can easily find fish heads," Agung said.

He added that the closing of pig farms in Kapuk, West Jakarta, would also benefit farmers.

"Pigs used to be the main consumers of market garbage."

The agency, he said, also planned to cut down on time needed to obtain licenses for farming and animal husbandry businesses, beginning in March.

"For example, licensees for bull and water buffalo slaughter houses will be obtainable in only three days, compared to 17 days as required at the moment, while licenses for sheep slaughter houses can be collected in just seven days instead of 10 days," Agung said.

Time taken to obtain licenses for meat distribution businesses and butcher shops will be cut down from 40 days to just 15 days, he said.

"Getting a license for a veterinary clinic will also be faster -- in 15 days from 25 days as required earlier. The license to establish an animal drug store will be obtainable in just 10 days instead of 33 days," he added.

The city administration is also planning to increase the number of sheep slaughtered daily.

"There are only some 300 sheep slaughtered daily and we are planning to slaughter at least 750 sheep a day starting from the end of March," Agung said.

The city currently has three slaughter houses in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, Mampang, South Jakarta, and Pulogadung, East Jakarta.

Another program launched by the agency aims to free milk cows from brucellosis (miscarriage) and mastitis (milk breast), said Agung.

"We hope to decrease the number of infections from the current rate of 77 percent to 55 percent by the end of February," he said.

There are some 200 farmers with 4,355 milk cows in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta and Pondok Rangon in East Jakarta.

"Cows infected by brucellosis have to be slaughtered and the meat is edible under the agency's supervision. However, residents can't consume the innards," he said.

But, he said, people are not allowed to drink milk from mastitis-infected cows. (05)