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RI milk deficit may swell to 8.5m tonnes due to free meals program: Minister
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Friday that domestic milk production could only cover around 20 percent of national demand, leaving the country to face a 4.9 million tonnes deficit.
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A worker milks a cow at the Bintang Tani dairy farm in Bogor regency, West Java, on Sept. 19, 2024. (Antara/Arif Firmansyah)
I
ndonesia is expected to see an even larger deficit in domestic fresh milk supply as the country gears up to include dairy produce in President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Friday that domestic milk production could only cover around 20 percent of national demand, leaving the country to face a deficit of 4.9 million tonnes.
“Considering the additional [fresh milk] supply for the free meals program, the production shortage reaches 8.5 million tonnes,” Amran said in an official statement issued by the Agriculture Ministry.
With supplies lacking, the government has decided to only introduce milk in certain areas in close proximity to dairy farms.
Other locations will see it replaced with substitute items, such as eggs and moringa leaves.
Read also: Govt to import 3 million tonnes of milk for free meal program
He went on to say that the government will import 200,000 dairy cows and 200,000 beef cattle. Vietnam’s milk and food producer TH Group will be among the suppliers of the two commodities.
