"For the third semester of 2016, the import agreement letter (SPI) has been issued for 32 importer companies to import 123,800 heads of cows," Director General of Internal Trade of the Trade Ministry, Oke Nurwan, told a press conference here on Friday.
The director general said the permits should have been issued in September but the government issued these in October only after feedlot importers made a commitment to import 20 percent heifers when they import cows. The government has made it obligatory upon importers to also include heifers while importing feedlot cattle.
According to Oke, a license for importing cows is given to importers for shipment until the end of December 2016.A limited cabinet meeting held previously had agreed to allow import of 150 thousand heads of cattle in the third semester.
Indonesia needed to import one million heads of cows this year to meet the domestic need for beef. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade, therefore, require importers to include heifers while importing feedlot cattle.
"We hope that some 20 percent of the 700 thousand imported feedlot cattle are heifers," Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman had pointed out in Yogyakarta on October 6.
To expedite cattle production, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade have made it obligatory for importers to include mother cows in their feedlot cattle imports.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
