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