Where are the local cowboys?

When I drove from Balikpapan to Samarinda and then up to Sangatta, I saw a lot of empty rolling hills covered with grass.

That is Zebu country waiting to be exploited. Grass cattle breeding is ideal for tropical belt agribusiness.

The Zebu cattle breed, improved since the beginning of the century, gains weight rapidly while feeding on grass only. The Zebu produces lean meat, unlike grain-fed cattle. The Zebu consumes grass growing all year round in the tropical belt. The cattle feed on grass that grows on land unsuitable for any other crops.

The meat of the Zebu breed could well replace grain-fed beef on the local market.

Indonesians' and other Asians' incomes are rising. And they are developing a taste for good meat and dairy products.

To Brazilians -- whose country has more cattle than people -- it is strange that a country as large as Indonesia still imports milk, butter and beef. Where are the Indonesian cowboys?

OSVALDO COELHO

Bandung