The requirements (for obtaining the certificate) are not difficult...
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The distribution of food assistance comprising chicken meat and eggs will be carried out in stages starting Saturday (April 15, 2023), head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi has said.

"Tomorrow, it (the aid disbursement) will start for (beneficiaries living in) Java region first (and it will be carried out in the Java area) until Eid al-Fitr,” he informed after reviewing the sale of frozen meat at a modern retail store here on Friday.

The assistance of 1 kilogram of chicken meat and 10 eggs will be given to each recipient three times, the same number of times as the rice aid program, which has been conducted since March 31, he added.

The chicken meat and eggs assistance will be disbursed by state-owned food holding company ID FOOD to 58 thousand families at risk of stunting (KRS) in Java region out of a total of 1.4 million beneficiaries.

The remaining assistance will be provided after Eid al-Fitr, which is estimated to fall on April 22 this year.

Regarding the provision of the government's chicken meat and egg reserves, the Bapanas head stated that ID Food will absorb the products of small farmers as part of attempts to keep the government's purchasing price (HPP) from falling below the standard.

Despite prioritizing the absorption of products of small breeders, Bapanas will only buy products from breeders who already have a Veterinary Control Number (NKV) as a guarantee for safe, healthy, and halal products, he emphasized.

He also said that the implementation of the halal certificate as a requirement is a part of the government’s attempt to encourage farmers to advance their business.

Hence, he asked all offices and agencies across Indonesia to push breeders to obtain the certificate.

"The requirements (for obtaining the certificate) are not difficult, for instance, the cleanliness of the cage must be maintained, (and if there is any) there should only be little dirt on the eggs," Adi said.

Breeders who do not have an NKV can collaborate with local cooperatives so that the products from their cages that pass the curation of the cooperatives can be absorbed by the government, he added.

Earlier, Bapanas had tasked the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) with distributing rice assistance to 21.3 million families. Each of the recipients will receive 10 kilograms per month for the next three months starting March 31.

The attempt was a follow-up to President Joko Widodo's directives to control inflation and anticipate high commodity demand amid the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

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Translator: Kuntum Riswan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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