REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Director of Resource and Environment Development of Ministry of Rural, Disadvantaged Areas, and Transmigration, Faizul Ishom, stated that beef consumption in Indonesia was only 2.2 kg per capita/year and it considered as low.
In a statement received by Republika, beef consumption of Indonesian people was also low, compared to other countries, such as Argentina with 55 kg per capita/year, Brazil with 40 kg per capita/year, and Germany with 40-45 kg per capita/year. While, Singapore and Malaysia reached 15 kg per capita/year.
According to him, although level of beef consumption in Indonesia was still low, national beef demand was quite high. It reached hundreds of thousands of tons per year due to huge number of population.
"Fulfillment of national beef needs became one of the main priorities undertaken by the government. It was because beef self-sufficiency for national food security was still considered far from expectations," he said, Thursday (5/11).
Based on research from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and Meat Producers and Feedlot Association of Indonesia (APFINDO), it was estimated that in 2015 beef consumption rose to 2.56 kg per capita/year. Total national beef needs would reach 653 thousand tons or 3,657.000 cattle.
Meanwhile, the production rate of local farmers was only 406 thousand tons of beef or 2,339 million cattle. So that there were about 1.318 million cattle need to be imported.