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Feedlotters must play role in nurturing local breeders: Minister
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A cattle farmer shows his animal in Ngemplak, Boyolali, Central Jakarta on Sept. 10. (Antara/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho)
F
eedlotters who take part in the new ‘five-plus-one’ cattle import scheme will be required to nurture local breeders and plasma farmers and not only work on their feedlot business, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita has said.
Under the new scheme, in which feedlotters must import one cow for every five calves they import, the cows will be bred by local breeders working with plasma farmers. The plasma farmers will have to form a group, with each group getting at least 10 calves to feedlot.
"The plasma farmers will help to breed the cow, if two calves are born, one of them will be kept by the farmers, while the other will be handed over to the breeders," Enggartiasto said at his office in Jakarta, on Monday.
Every newborn calf would result in an additional five calves in the feedlotter’s import quota, he explained. Meanwhile, farmers and breeders could make money from the milk and the dairy products and they could sell the cow for meat to the feedlotter.
"This program will provide incentives to breed the cows. During the beef shortage in 2012 to 2014, many cows were slaughtered, thus the population decreased," Enggartiasto said.
Currently of the 25 feedlotters that have applied for the program, three big feedlotters have sealed their permits for importing a total of 300,000 calves over the next two years. At the end of 2016, two other companies--including giant Astra Group--will join the list. (ags)
