Poor breeders get Australian cattle

Poor breeders get Australian cattle

KUNINGAN, West Java: Some 700 underprivileged people in the
West Java town of Kuningan have been given 1,400 cattle worth Rp
5.5 billion by Australia.

The cattle, which were handed over on Tuesday by the Ministry
of Social Affairs in cooperation with the Kuningan regency
administration, are aimed at helping empower poor villagers in
the area.

"All the breeders who received the assistance now have to
fatten these cattle before they are sold on the market," said
Kuningan Regent Arifin Setiamihardja.

He said the aid was a "breakthrough" in the effort to improve
the incomes of poor breeders.

Of the total 1.2 million inhabitants of Kuningan, 32,000
families live under the poverty line, according to the regent.

Similar assistance was also given to cattle breeders in
Lamongan regency, East Java, and North Lampung regency in Lampung
province.

The two regencies each received 1,400 cattle to be distributed
among 700 villagers.--JP