MBG Spurs Surge in Chicken and Dairy Cattle Farming

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Deputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono said the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme has begun to spur increased public interest in chicken and dairy cattle farming across various regions. Rising demand for milk, eggs, and meat is driving new investments in the national livestock sector.

Sudaryono stated the government is establishing livestock ecosystems at 20 locations to support broiler and layer chicken farming. These ecosystems include feed mills, vaccines, and chick supply to make it easier for the public to enter the livestock sector.

‘This has triggered many parties to start raising dairy cows, beef cattle, and chickens,’ the Deputy Minister said at the Ministry of Agriculture’s central office complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (27 May 2026).

Sudaryono explained that national milk demand has risen since the MBG programme was implemented, a shift from previous periods when milk supplies were in surplus and had to be discarded.

He noted that the market potential from MBG has attracted businesses to import cattle and expand livestock investments in Indonesia. The government is also encouraging private sector involvement to accelerate self-sufficiency in meat and milk without full reliance on state budget.

‘What motivates them is the off-take guarantee from the large market potential of Free Nutritious Meals,’ Sudaryono said.

The government is currently focusing on increasing cattle populations to achieve meat and milk self-sufficiency within four years. This involves importing cattle from abroad, including Brazil, which has a similar tropical climate to Indonesia.

Sudaryono said the government has allocated 100,000 cattle imports from Brazil, hoping these tropical-adapted animals will thrive in Indonesia and meet national milk and meat demands.