The agency's Head for Collection, Rizaludin Kurniawan, stated in Jakarta, Monday, that the agency managed to collect Qurbani animals of sheep or goats, with the value totaling Rp10.5 trillion (US$700 million) in 2022 and will continue to increase the figure.
"The figure (Rp10.5 trillion) is equivalent to 3.5 million heads of goat. This year, we expect the figure to be increased by 30 percent, or reaching Rp13 trillion nationwide," he noted.
Kurniawan stated the Qurbani animals collected by Baznas are managed and distributed in the form of living animals as well as processed products.
As for processed meat products, the agency distributes them to disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions as an effort to help the government prevent stunting cases from increasing by fulfilling the children's nutritional needs.
"I hope that we all perform Qurbani at the finest for each other, for the poor, for the underprivileged. Hopefully, Qurbani meat will help them meet their needs for adequate protein and nutrition," Kurniawan stated.
Meanwhile, Head of Baznas Noor Achmad revealed that according to data provided by the agency's center for strategic studies, in 2022, the country had a Qurbani economic potential of Rp31.6 trillion (US$21 billion).
Hence, Baznas is paying close attention to the large Qurbani economic potential. The agency aims to make Qurbani a sustainable economic ecosystem in the efforts to eradicate poverty in society.
To that end, the agency is striving to continue to implement its Balai Ternak, or Livestock Center program, with the objective of empowering breeders belonging to the mustahik groups, or people eligible as alms beneficiaries.
Through the program, Baznas is providing assistance to mustahik to elevate them from being beneficiaries to becoming benefit givers.
"Through this program, we would also like to promote the efforts in fulfilling the nutritional needs of people, especially those who live in regions that are still preoccupied with the issues of stunting and extreme poverty," Achmad remarked.
The mustahik breeders are projected to contribute as much as 30 percent to the fulfillment of sacrificial sheep, goats, or cows needed for this year's Qurbani, he said.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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