President Director of Public Company Logistics Affairs Agency (Perum Bulog) Budi Waseso said 36 thousand tons of imported buffalo meat would be imported before Eid 2022. He conveyed this in response to a question from the Chairman of Commission IV of the DPR Sub-Department during a hearing with Echelon I of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), Monday (4/4). According to Buwas, as he is affectionately known, Bulog has obtained a permit to import 20,000 tons of buffalo meat for the first phase out of a total of 100,000 tons of quota assigned by the government this year.
"If only 20,000 tons of buffalo meat have come in, the first permit will be. Gradually entering (until before Eid) 36,000 tons," he said. Based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture, with these imports, the availability of beef and buffalo as of April 2022 reached 78.3,000 tons. Meanwhile, the total demand for meat during April 2022 is estimated to reach 92.53 tons. Previously, the Sub-Department had questioned the Director General of Livestock and Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nasrullah, who stated that the availability of beef and buffalo as of May 2022 would reach 332,619.6 tons. He also said that the planned or realized import of beef and buffalo as of May 2022 is 103,375.8 tons. Meanwhile, the demand during January-May 2022 is predicted to be only 301,466.2 tons, meaning that there is a total surplus of 31,153.4 tons.
The sub-dept. also questioned whether the total demand for beef and buffalo came from local buffalo or imported by Bulog. "Local buffalo or Bulog buffalo? To be clear," said Sudin. Nasrullah also explained that the availability comes from three sources, first from the potential for local buffalo production. Second, imports of feeder cattle that have been in maintenance for at least 2.5 months. Third, imports of buffalo meat, including by Bulog.
