License Issued for Import of 198,000 Cows

Acting Director General for Foreign Trade Karyanto Suprih said imports would be made from Australia .

"There has been no other choice of suppliers," Karyanto said here on Tuesday.

This year, the government plans to import 600,000 feedlot cows.

Business players grouped in the Association of Meat Producers and Feedlotters (Apfindo) the 600,000 cows to be imported this year would not be enough to meet growing consumption especially in 2016.

According to Executive Director of the association Joni Liano,in a discussion between the government officials and Apfindo it was agreed that there was a shortage in supply of 780,000 live cows and 90,000 tons of meat in the country this year .

Earlier, the government said it was decided tio import 600,000 feedlot cows and imports would be more in the first quarter.

Imports would total 200,000 cows in the first quarter, 150,000 cows in the second quarter of 2016.

High demand in the Ied ul Fitri is considered in the determining the number of cows to be imported.

The country is heavily dependent on import for beef despite effort to reduce dependence by improving distribution of live cows from various producing regions in the country such as Est Nusa Tenggara.

Last month, the first cattle feed landed at Jakarta Tanjung Priok port carrying live cows from East Nusa Tenggara.

The agriculture Ministry said the ship was starting regular service transporting live cows from East Nusa Tenggara to Jakarta .

So far Jakarta has relied more on imports from Australia for beef cows.(WDY)