Govt Should be Held Responsible for Soaring Beef Prices: Breeder
10 August 2015 11:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Agriculture Ministry has not taken action towards the rise of beef prices in markets. “They are still in a meeting,” Director General of Livestock and Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mulando Basar, said via a short text message on Sunday, Aug. 9.
Currently, beef prices in markets reached Rp120,000 per kilogram. The rise of beef prices also made several merchants in traditional markets in Jakarta, Bogor and Bandung to not to sell the product.
The Agriculture Ministry has not decided to increase the number of cow imports. Previously, the Agriculture Ministry have submitted to import 50,000 cows.
The Trade Ministry has the authority to determine the need for additional stocks, Mulando said.
Chairman of Indonesia's Cattle and Buffalo Breeder Association, Teguh Boediyana, said that the government should be responsible for the rise of beef prices. “What is happening now is due to the failure of self-sufficiency in meat during the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, he said.
To ensure that there are no tricks from importers, the Trade Ministry should perform check-ups towards companies that fatten cows.
SINGGIH SOARES