dairy milk consumption among Indonesians remains very lowWest Bandung, West Java (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, said that optimising Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme will help expand domestic dairy milk demand while addressing the nation's low consumption levels.
During a visit to Lembang, West Bandung District, West Java Province, on Friday, Nurofiq said increasing dairy milk consumption is an important part of improving public nutrition while strengthening demand for domestically produced milk.
"We strongly encourage higher milk demand because dairy milk consumption among Indonesians remains very low," he said after visiting the North Bandung Dairy Farmers Cooperative (KPSBU).
He noted Indonesian consumption on dairy milk currently stands at only around 16.7 kilograms per capita per year, far below that of several dairy milk-producing countries.
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Nurofiq noted this low consumption leaves plenty of room to drive up national dairy milk demand through government initiatives, like the MBG programme.
"If a year divided into 365 days, it amounts to only about one or two tablespoons per day. It means the consumption of dairy milk by our people still needs to be increased," he said.
On the occasion, Nurofiq also said higher milk consumption must be accompanied by stronger its domestic production, so that the national demand does not continue to rely on imported supplies.
He said the government is currently promoting various measures to increase dairy milk production, including through the development of livestock technologies that would enable dairy cattle to be raised in a wider range of areas.
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Moreover, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that Indonesia's fresh milk production reached 820,874.80 tons in 2025, including 475,394.90 tons in East Java, 251,871.10 tons in West Java, and 75,336.85 tons in Central Java, highlighting the need to expand domestic output.
"If the technology proves successful and we are able to engineer a microclimate inside cattle sheds, then dairy farming will no longer have to be confined to mountainous areas but can also be developed in lower-lying regions," Nurofiq said.
Moreover, he said that increasing dairy milk demand through the MBG programme must be followed by higher domestic production capacity.
Therefore, the economic benefits can be enjoyed by dairy farmers and the national dairy industry, while also reducing dependence on imported milk.
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Translator: Ilham, Kenzu
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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