Regarding The Preparedness Of The Prabowo-Gibran Free Milk Program, Entrepreneurs: Indonesia Will Be Entangled In Imports

JAKARTA - Milk entrepreneurs are open about the readiness to support the demand for milk in the free lunch and milk program launched by Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka for 82.9 million children throughout Indonesia.

Chairman of the National Advisory Council, Teguh Boediyana, warned that Indonesia would be entangled in imports to meet the needs of the free lunch and milk program. In fact, the import tap is likely to be wider open.

Currently, continued Teguh, domestic fresh milk production is only able to meet 20 percent of domestic needs. Meanwhile, the supply has been absorbed by the dairy processing industry.

Meanwhile, Teguh continued, 80 percent of domestic demand for fresh milk is met through imports. With this free lunch and milk program, it will automatically increase national milk consumption.

"So if we look at the current conditions, it is clear that this program will encourage milk imports. There is no other choice. Meanwhile, what we will give is probably some that are not milk consumers, like it or not, we have to increase the volume of imports to fulfill that," he said when contacted by VOI, in Jakarta, Wednesday, February 28.

Meanwhile, he said, the government is not serious about increasing domestic fresh milk production. This is evident from the very low milk production and dairy cattle population in the country.

"Efforts that so far, I can say that the government is not serious about increasing domestic milk production, in its programs. So to increase one of them must increase the dairy cow population," he said.

"Our population is very low. 600,000, including the male one, even though the female cows are born. So the cows that are dairyed may be around 300,000 to meet their needs," he continued.

Not only milk, Teguh said that if later one of the free lunch menus related to beef, it would also encourage imports. The reason is, currently the domestic demand for beef is still met by imports.

"Yes, for sure, that's for sure. Because it's not easy to increase domestic production, it's very difficult. So far, the self-sufficiency program has been failing for 20 years. So if the free meal menu is meat menu, the consequences of meat imports must be added," he said.

According to Teguh, Prabowo-Gibran's promise will increase the consumption of the basic ingredients needed. Therefore, he considered that it would be easier to encourage the production of chicken meat and eggs.

"It is easier to produce eggs and chicken meat compared to buffalo meat or meat. This cow is not like chicken, it takes time to make children and all kinds of things," he said.