"We will directly start the procurement process this month. Indeed, the arrival is after Eid because we got the task (of procuring) 20 thousand tons of dairy beef in stages," ID FOOD president director Frans Marganda Tambunan informed here on Friday.
He delivered the statement after the launch of phase two food assistance for families that are at risk of stunting.
ID FOOD has been tasked by the government, through the National Food Agency (Bapanas), to import the beef from Brazil this year.
Tambunan said that his side has to complete a number of licensing processes, therefore the procurement of imported beef, which was originally meant to control market price fluctuations during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, has been delayed.
"Once the assignment is out, we have to complete several procedures. First, get a recommendation from the Ministry of Agriculture; second, get an Import Approval Letter from the Ministry of Trade; then, we can process the procurement," he informed while explaining the delay in beef imports during Ramadan.
He did not disclose the quota of imported beef that will arrive in Indonesia in the initial stage after Eid al-Fitr since that will involve the procurement team.
ID FOOD has also been given the responsibility to share a portion of the national beef supply at the end of the year to anticipate beef shortages in early 2025.
"Later, we will give an update because the procurement uses a procurement team, and then we will schedule how many will arrive per month," he informed.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Arie Novarina
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