TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said the stock breeder mandatory pregnancy (SIWAB) special program is expected to help Indonesia in achieving beef sustainability in the next five years.
"The new SIWAB program showed promising result by successfully breeding 1,4 million calf throughout 2016," Amran said on Friday, October 21, 2016.
According to Amran, the breeding was done by distributing artificial insemination system to cow breeders in a number of regions in Indonesia.
There are four million cows born from artificial insemination that was distributed to the breeders.
"Our target for the [SIWAB] program is three million [calf]. If we can do [the program] continuously for three years, the President's nine year target, might be able to be achieved in four or five years, and we can be self-sustainable," Amran said.
However, despite the program, the Agriculture Ministry will continue to import cattle from overseas to meet demands in Jakarta and its surrounding areas.
"To maintain local breeders, imported cattle will only distributed in Jabodetabek area," Amran explained.
ANTARA