Agriculture Minister Suswono stated here on Monday that the countrys meat production this year increased to 430 thousand tons from 420 thousand in 2012.
"But the countrys need for meat this year has also increased reaching 549,700 tons and it suffered meat deficit because the needs exceeded the local meat production," the minister noted in a 2013 reflection on food and agriculture and prospect in 2014, here on Monday.
With the deficit of meat production, the price of meat at home increased and to overcome the problem, the government allowed the import of live cattle and frozen beef, the minister explained.
In the meantime, the Indonesian Ministry of Trade has issued import licenses (SPI) for 35 feedlot companies to export 150 thousand cattle in the first quarter of 2014.
"In the first quarter of 2014, a total of 130,245 imported pedigree cows and 22,860 slaughter cattle will arrive in the country. The Trade Ministry has issued SPIs for 35 companies," stated Director General of External Trade Bachrul Chairi here on Monday.
Bachrul noted that for the second quarter of 2014, the government has plans to import 265 thousand pedigree and slaughter cows in preparations to face the 2014 post-fasting month Idul Fitri holidays.
For the third quarter, the government will import 167 thousand cattle and 170 thousand others in the fourth quarter of 2014, he added.
Based on the data available at the trade ministry up to December 18, the normal pedigree cow import allocation stood at 267 thousand heads. In the first quarter, only 56,592 of them were imported.
In the second quarter, the allocation reached 117,747, in the third quarter 45,970 and in the fourth quarter 41,945. The export realization up to December 18 was recorded at 262,254 cows.
The director general explained that additional allocation was made in 2013 to meet the need for meat during the Idul Fitri festivities.
The allocation consisted of 89,500 pedigree cows (of which 24,466 were realized), 96,500 slaughter cows (97,892 were realized) and 500 mother cows (none realized).
(A014/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
