Indonesia to Reduce Meat Imports

The Indonesian Government is planning to cut meat imports by 10% a year until the country achieves meat self-sufficiency in 2014, according to an official.

Director general of husbandry Tjeppy D Soedjana said meat imports account for 35-36% of domestic needs.

“We plan to reduce the imports by 10% per year,” Soedjana said’.

Indonesia’s cattle imports dropped to 450,000 heads in 2008 from 496,000 heads in 2007, Soedjana said.

In 2009 the country’s population of beef cattle reached 11.8 million, which is expected to increase to 12-13 million by the end of the year.