Upstream sector strengthened for national milk self-sufficiency, says deputy minister

Malang, East Java (ANTARA) - The government is working to strengthen the dairy farming sector, or upstream side, to realise national milk self-sufficiency, according to Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Hanif Faisol Nurofiq. Speaking during a visit to the SAE Pujon Cooperative in Malang Regency, East Java, on Thursday, he stated that a key strategy involves integrating the livestock sector with the processing industry. “We must integrate with the downstream sector. While the upstream is handled by the Ministry of Agriculture, the downstream involves the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Trade. We need to communicate intensively so that what happens upstream receives serious attention from the downstream industry,” Hanif said. He noted that this integration is a joint effort to ensure the availability and fulfilment of the community’s needs for locally processed milk products. Currently, approximately 80 percent of the nation’s milk requirement is met through imports, primarily in powder form for the processing industry. The government is therefore focusing on integrating upstream and downstream sectors to curb imports by strengthening domestic milk production. Hanif stressed that meeting the population’s animal protein needs through locally produced milk is crucial for children’s nutrition, while also providing economic added value for farmers. “The average market need is 4.5 to 5 million tonnes per year, but 80 percent is imported. With a population of 288.3 million, that equates to just one tablespoon of milk per person per day, far below the FAO’s recommendation of two to three glasses daily,” he explained. He encouraged the Malang Regency government to play an active role in achieving national milk self-sufficiency, noting that East Java is the country’s largest milk production centre, with Malang and specifically Pujon District being the heart of that production. Secretary of the SAE Pujon Cooperative, Nur Kayin, reported that the cooperative’s daily fresh milk production reaches 120 tonnes, sourced from 9,000 cows owned by its members. He added that East Java’s combined production is 1,200 tonnes per day, with three cooperatives in the western part of Malang Regency alone contributing around 300 tonnes. The cooperative aims to help meet national milk needs by devising strategies to increase productivity and develop downstream processing. “It is impossible to raise cattle without regional carrying capacity, such as land for grass. We are currently discussing with the Coordinating Ministry for Food a plan to build a UHT factory to support the Free Nutritious Meals programme,” he said.