aving built a partnership in the field of agricultural and animal husbandry sciences, the University of Mataram (Unram) in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and Massey University in New Zealand, have begun to implement quality cattle farming and horticultural farming practices in the province.
“Our partnership has been running for almost a year now. Currently, we are developing horticultural farming practices in North Lombok regency while in Dompu regency, we’re building a cattle food production project and developing quality animal husbandry patterns,” Unram rector Sunarpi told The Jakarta Post on Monday after he granted an adjunct professor award to Steve Morris and Julian A. Heyes, two academics from Massey University.
Sunarpi said that in the East Indonesia Innovative Farming Systems and Capability for Agribusiness Activity (IFSCA) partnership, the New Zealand government had provided US$4.5 million in grants via NZAID to finance IFSCA projects for four years until 2019.
“The IFSCA program aims to improve the capacity of farmers and cattle breeders in NTB, with assistance from Unram and a transfer of technology from Massey University,” said Sunarpi.
Steve, who is also an animal husbandry expert from Massey University, said NTB, particularly Sumbawa, had significant animal husbandry potential and the area could be developed into a quality beef production center.
As demand for beef, and high-quality beef, has continued to grow globally, breeders now face the challenge of developing quality cattle. (ebf)
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