Meanwhile, private companies have been allocated a quota to import a total of 80 thousand tons of beef, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan noted in his office's statement cited here on Thursday.
He explained that the decision to mobilize SOEs to import meat aims to facilitate the government in curbing the entry and spread of foot-and-mouth diseases, which could be driven by the ongoing rainy season.
"By delegating the import tasks to SOEs, we seek to anticipate the potential spread of food and mouth diseases. This approach is expected to enable the government to oversee the import processes more closely," he stated.
The minister made these remarks during the Limited Coordination Meeting on the Determination of Changes to the 2025 Food Commodity Balance with officials from multiple ministries and agencies in Jakarta on Wednesday (February 5).
In its statement, the Coordinating Ministry for Food noted that the revision to the balance is directed toward securing sufficient stocks of beef and meat in Indonesia, aligning with President Prabowo Subianto's instruction to tame the prices of the food commodities.
During the cross-ministerial meeting, the ministry also drew attention to Presidential Regulation No. 126 of 2022 concerning the acceleration of the development of the national salt industry.
Minister Hasan urged Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono to conduct preparations for the implementation of the regulation, which mandates the government to stop importing salt for the food and beverage sector starting this year.
He also called for synergy between ministries and other state institutions to provide the public with food commodities at affordable, reasonable prices while serving the interests of farmers and fishermen.
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Translator: Maria C, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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