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Over Rp 1t earmarked to boost livestock numbers via artifical insemination
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Population boost: The Agriculture Ministry launches the Upsus SIWAB program to increase livestock numbers via artificial insemination to meet national demand in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday. (JP/Panca Nugraha)
T
he Agriculture Ministry has allocated Rp 1.1 trillion (US$82.47 million) of its budget to increase the country's livestock population through a special artificial insemination program (Upsus SIWAB), which breeders will get assistance to improve livestock reproduction.
The ministry’s animal health and husbandry director general, I Ketut Diarmita, said the program was one of the government’s prioritized programs for the animal husbandry sector, which aimed to increase the national birth rate of livestock.
“As of now, the contribution of local livestock to national demand has been relatively low. Upsus SIWAB is part of a government initiative to boost livestock numbers, especially cattle,” said Ketut.
He was speaking during the launch of the program at an agriculture education complex in Lelede village, Kediri district, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Tuesday. NTB is a participating province in the program.
Ketut said under the program, the government required cows at a reproductive age to be artificially inseminated.
The ministry was targeting to carry out artificial insemination on around 4 million cows across the country, he added.
“We expect in 2018 that around 3 million calves will have resulted from artificial insemination,” said Ketut.
NTB along with Bali, Central Java, East Java, Lampung and West Java are cattle producing regions. The province will receive Rp 26 billion for the program to be applied some 140,000 cows in eight regencies across Lombok and Sumbawa. (ebf)
