JAKARTA, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Indonesia will import 502,000 cattle and 85,500 tonnes of beef to help plug a supply gap of meat in the domestic market, Fadjar Sumping Tjatur Rasa, an Agriculture Ministry director said on Thursday.
In addition, Indonesia is also planning to issue import permits for 100,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef and water buffalo meat from India, he said in a statement.
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The ministry estimated Indonesia’s beef and buffalo meat consumption in 2021 at nearly 696,956 tonnes, up around 64% from last year, resulting in a 223,142 tonne supply gap.
In February, the government expected shipments of cattle from Mexico to increase the country’s domestic stock, Nasruallah, a director general at the ministry, said.
Indonesia mainly imports cattle from Australia, but the government had said it wants to source more from other places.
Meat sellers in greater Jakarta area are holding a strike for three days from Wednesday this week due to the high cost of procuring the meat, media reported.
“The Agriculture Ministry has made supply checks in the field and it is relatively safe until demand for Eid Al-Fitr,” Nasrullah said, referring to the Islamic holiday that falls in mid-May this year.
Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe
Writing by Fransiska Nangoy
Editing by Ed Davies
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