Official confirms RI meat supply
JAKARTA (JP): The country's supply of meat is sufficient to meet the nationwide demand for 94,000 cows, 26 million chickens and 37,000 tons of eggs for Christmas, Idul Fitri and New Year's Eve, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture said on Monday.
Speaking before members of the House of Representatives, Director General of Animal Husbandry Sofjan Sudardjat said there would be about 142,000 cows available for consumption during the three holidays, which all take place at the end of the month.
"Some 56,000 cows will be supplied by local breeders, while 86,000 cows will be imported from several countries," Sofjan said.
Local meat will mostly be supplied from breeders in East Java and Central Java, and imported beef will be shipped from, among other countries, America, Australia and New Zealand, Sofjan told members of Commission III for agriculture and food affairs.
Some 20,000 chicken farms across the country will be able to supply 41 million chickens and 37,000 tons of eggs during the holiday season, he added.
Sofjan said his office predicted that the price of the three basic commodities would be stable at about Rp 28,000 to Rp 30,000 per kilogram for meat, Rp 11,000 to Rp 13,000 per kilogram for chicken and Rp 6,000 to Rp 7,000 per kilogram for eggs.
U.S. chicken
Separately, local breeders grouped in the Indonesian Poultry Industry Union (GPPU) worried that American competitors would flood Indonesian markets with chicken leg quarters and wings, which are relatively cheap in the United States since they contain high fat and are not popular among American customers.
GPPU deputy chairman Achmad Dawami said in a statement on Monday that the chicken parts, shipped as drumsticks, were likely to be exported at 22 U.S. cents per kilogram to some countries in the region, particularly Indonesia and the Philippines.
"The chicken parts could sell well at 50 U.S. cents in the local markets here, which would then affect local producers," Achmad said.
The union, therefore, said they want the government to immediately stop the import of low-priced chicken parts from the United States or local poultry breeders will go bankrupt.
When asked to comment on the issue, Sofjan said the government was committed in prohibiting the import of chicken parts.
"Only whole chickens can be imported, while chicken quarters are prohibited, such as chicken leg quarters, wings and breasts," Sofjan told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the hearing at the House of Representatives.
His office, he added, would confiscate and destroy any imported chicken parts found at local markets, he said.
Data from the information center for the Jakarta Poultry Market last year revealed that large cities across the country were flooded each month by some 200 tons of imported poultry from the United States.
Indonesia consumes some 700,000 tons of chicken every year. (04)