Weak monitoring blamed for rising meat prices
Weak monitoring blamed for rising meat prices
JAKARTA (JP): A consumer activist has blamed the rising price of local meat on the government's weak monitoring of imported meat as well as possible collusion with importers.
"If the government continues its current weak control over the flow of imported meat, our local meat industry will decline in this era of global competition," said Zumrotin K. Susilo, a former chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Organization who is now a staff member.
"Other reasons are a lack of facilities, inconsistencies in implementing guidance to examine the quality of imported meat and possible collusions between government officials and importers.
"It is not only in the meat issue that the government is ambivalent in implementing the rules and regulations needed to maintain integrity and ensure safety of imported products. The government needs to pay more attention to consumers at large," said Zumrotin.
The government should not avoid responsibility, especially when dealing with public safety and health, she said.
Local meat prices recently increased, according to a number of newspaper reports.
According to Kompas, the price of local meat has gone up to Rp 17,000 per kilogram from Rp 15,000, while imported frozen meat rose from Rp 13,000 to Rp 15,000 per kilogram.
The controversy was sparked by Dicky A. Adiwoso, chairman of Indonesian Meat Producers and Feedlot after he said that the oversupply and relatively low price of imported meat was due to the inferior quality of the commodity.
Dicky said that the imported meat was rated as low-quality in the countries of origin and was rejected for human consumption. He added that most of the imported meat had come from Australia.
"In Australia, there is an oversupply of the mid-rated meat used in the sausage and hamburger industry after the U.S. stopped importing Australian meat," Dicky was quoted as saying by Kompas.
The government has rejected the allegation that the quality of meat in local markets was unfit for human consumption.
"It's a false accusation. We check every delivery of meat, local or imported, and we have never found a spoilt sample," said an official at the Jakarta Livestock Agency who asked for anonymity.
A 250-gram sample is taken from every meat delivery for a laboratory check in Cakung, East Jakarta, said the source.
The source said that meat is primarily imported from U.S., New Zealand and Australia, and secondarily from Germany, France and the Netherlands. Newspapers reported that most of the imported meat had come from Australia. The source added that the local meat supply is inadequate for the rising demand.
On the other hand, Rustami, director of the Cakung slaughterhouse told The Jakarta Post that the oversupply of imported meat in local markets has reduced the activity of the slaughterhouse.
A number of government offices, including the directorate general for livestock under the aegis of the agricultural ministry, and the directorate general for cattle breeding were not available for comment when contacted by the Post yesterday.
Trisatya Naipospos, a staff at the Health Ministry said that the government have rules and regulations pertaining to the safety of circulating meats.
"When deviations occur it is almost beyond our control," said Trisatya. (14/yns)