Food Coordinating Ministry Targets Addition of 2 Million Cattle to Boost Milk and Meat Production

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Food (Kemenko Pangan) targets adding 2 million heads of breeding cattle by 2029 as a strategic step to bolster national meat and milk production.

Deputy for Coordinating Food and Agriculture Business Affairs of Kemenko Pangan, Widiastuti, at the International Strategic Meeting on Scientific Pathways for Sustainable Livestock Industry Transformation at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) office in Jakarta on Friday, stated that this measure is a key part in supporting food self-sufficiency.

She explained that several livestock commodities have already achieved self-sufficiency, such as chicken meat and eggs. Broiler chicken meat production is projected to reach 5.4 million tonnes by 2029, while layer hen egg production is estimated at 7.3 million tonnes.

However, challenges persist for beef and milk commodities, particularly due to limited livestock populations. Therefore, the government targets increasing the breeding cattle population by 2 million heads by 2029.

Furthermore, she added that this increase in needs is also to achieve self-sufficiency in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme, which will drive a surge in demand for livestock products.

According to her, the government ensures that these needs can be met from domestic production, while reducing dependence on imports.

In efforts to strengthen the local economy, Kemenko Pangan is also promoting the role of Merah Putih Village/Urban Ward Cooperatives as the main drivers of distribution and processing of livestock products.

Cooperatives, she said, are expected to serve as a platform for small-scale farmers to grow and connect directly with the supply chain of the MBG programme.

In her view, cooperatives can become distribution centres as well as processing hubs for livestock products, and open opportunities for youth participation in people-based economic development.

Furthermore, Widiastuti emphasised that this policy is a concrete manifestation of food sovereignty, where the people not only consume but also produce and manage food sources.

“This is a manifestation of food sovereignty where the people produce, the people manage, and the people enjoy the nutritional benefits,” she stated.

It is known that the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) has prepared 1.5 million hectares of land as investment areas for developing dairy and beef cattle farming.

Kementan also proposes 21 locations to become national strategic projects (PSN) to facilitate investment in that sector.