PT RNI officials said they hoped the Ministry of Agriculture would end their providing permits to private companies to import cattle since, in the past, private companies allowed to import cows eventually created problems.
"Now is the time for the government to provide a permit for RNI to import cattle. It should no longer be pro-private firms. We guarantee that we can ensure meat supplies if allowed to import cattle," Putro said after attending a coordination meeting on food resilience at the office of the coordinating minister for economic affairs here on Wednesday.
Also attending the coordination meeting were Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa and a number of ministers, including Agriculture Minister Suswono, State-owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan and Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi.
Putro said that, during the meeting, Minister Suswono had explained that his ministry offered import permits to private firms, but none were willing to import cows.
"Regarding the cow import plan, the ministry of agriculture should also consider RNI. As a state-owned company, we are ready to help the government in maintaining food resilience and in stabilizing the price of meat at home," the RNI president director stated.
He noted that if his company was assigned by the government to import cattle, it was prepared to import calves, productive female cows, pedigree cows, as well as slaughter cows.
RNI, he said, is able to import 1,000 productive female cows per month, 1,500 calves, 3,000 pedigree cows and 3,000 cows for slaughtering. "Financially, we are ready and have a network in Australia. It is regrettable if the government does not utilize the state firm for importing cattle," he added.
Indonesia has recently imported 6,000 head of live cattle from Australia to stabilize meat prices, which currently stand at Rp92,000 (US$8.4) per kilogram, the Trade Ministry`s Secretary General Gunaryo said on Friday.
"Some of them (cattle) were brought into Indonesia three days ago," he added.
According to data from the ministry, 24,750 head of live cattle were imported by Indonesia between July and October this year. This was in accordance with Ministerial Decree Number 699/2013 announced on July 18 last year, which cleared the way for the import of cattle. Cattle imports will be allowed until December 31.
The imports are being made through listed slaughterhouses and integrated feed lotters.
The imported cattle have to be slaughtered and distributed immediately at a price set by the government.
Australia is the largest supplier of live cows to Indonesia.
Earlier this month, Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan and his Australian counterpart, Andrew Robb, met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting to discuss cattle imports from Australia.
"Apart from discussing the possibility of increasing investments from both countries, we also discussed normalizing Australia`s meat exports to Indonesia, preparations during the APEC Leaders Meeting from October 7 to 8 in Bali, and the World Trade Organisation`s (WTO) Ministerial Conference, to be held in Bali next December," said Gita.
(A014/INE/B003)
(KR-BSR/B003)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
