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No free milk at schools without local supply, minister says
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A cattle breeder milks a cow in September 2016 in Penyaring village, North Moyo district, Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara. (Antara/Ahmad Subaidi)
D
eputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono has proposed excluding dairy milk from president-elect Prabowo Subianto’s free nutritious meals program, citing inadequate domestic production.
“We should not include milk for now. If we need to import it, what's the point? Eggs and chicken could replace it; the key is the nutritional content,” Sudaryono told reporters on Friday following a press conference at the Finance Ministry.
Milk is not indispensable to the program, he continued, noting that needs for calories and protein could be met with alternatives, and the program should stimulate the local economy instead of relying heavily on imports.
Currently, Indonesia imports more than 80 percent of milk consumed in the country to satisfy domestic demand.
He acknowledged that achieving self-sufficiency in meat and milk remained a significant challenge for the country, unlike other food commodities such as chicken, eggs and vegetables, which are produced in sufficient quantities domestically.
“The government still needs more time to reduce milk imports and meet demand through local production,” he admitted.
Read also: Ministry vows Prabowo’s free meal program to use local produce
