Jakarta pigs find no home in West Java

JAKARTA (JP): The city's plan to relocate pig farms from West Jakarta to West Java has been put on hold because West Java Governor Nuriana is against the plan, an official said yesterday.

Deputy Governor of Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi said that up to now the city administration had not determined which plots would be appropriate for pig farms.

"We are to discuss the matter with pig farm businesspeople and the West Jakarta mayor," he said.

The administration decided in 1995 to move a pig farm complex in Kapuk, West Jakarta, to West Java because residential areas around the farms had expanded.

An official of the city's Animal Husbandry Agency, who asked for anonymity, said yesterday that a gubernatorial decree prohibiting pig farming in West Jakarta had been issued owing to offensive waste and the changes in land uses in the areas.

The 18.7-hectare pig farming complex with the capacity of raising 40,000 pigs is owned by 60 farmers, she said.

In a letter to Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso dated Dec. 31, 1997, Governor Nuriana said four pig farming companies had proposed they relocate their farms to West Java. The four companies were PT Ternindo Cibaru Perkasa, PT Sari Kencana, PT Dairi Lestari and PT Raja Lontung Putra.

"We had looked into Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi, Karawang, Subang, Lebak and Indramayu regencies to accommodate the relocation, but none of the regencies agreed to the plan.

"Based on each regency's land use plan and their social, cultural and religious aspects, West Java's people could not accept the existence of pig farms," the letter said.

The animal husbandry agency official said pig farming in Kapuk started in 1962. "Back then the farming started with a total of 130 hectares of land," she said.

The farming areas had decreased to about 75 hectares by 1986, she said, because people were selling their land to housing complex developers.

"The area is no longer suitable for pig farming because there is rapid development in the area. As many houses are built, residents reject the existence of pig farming because it brings abundant waste," she added.

"Since last July, farmers have gradually moved from West Jakarta. I don't know exactly where they are right now. But the pig slaughterhouse still exists there because the decree only prohibits pig farming," she added.

"We are waiting for the municipality's decision on this. We hope there will be a solution to this matter soon," she added. (edt/ind)