Ministry Of Agriculture Efforts For The National Egg Processing Industry Can Be Global Competitive

The strengthening of the national egg processing industry, so that it is highly competitive and able to meet the needs of the domestic market and exports is being pursued by the Directorate General of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health (Ditjen PKH) of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan).

"With this collaboration, the Ministry of Agriculture hopes that the national egg processing industry will be more competitive, global competitive, and become a driving force for the economic growth of people's livestock," said Director of Downstreaming Livestock Products of the Directorate General of PKH of the Ministry of Agriculture Makmun, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, August 2.

Makmun said that efforts to downstream livestock products continue to be intensified by the Ministry of Agriculture as part of a strategy to strengthen national food security and increase the added value of local products.

He mentioned that one of the concrete steps was seen in Blitar, East Java, with MSMEs processing eggs, PT Sinergi Pangan Mandiri (Sipaman), obtaining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support from PT Sucofindo in the context of facilitating Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification.

According to him, cross-sectoral cooperation, as was done with Sucofindo, is a tangible manifestation of the synergy between the government and BUMN in realizing a strong livestock downstream industry.

"We encourage that the egg flour processing model in Blitar can be replicated at other egg centers, such as in Lampung and Central Java," said Makmun.

Moreover, he also said that currently Indonesia is still importing egg flour with increasing trends.

"In 2024, the volume of imports of egg flour will reach 2,500 tons. If we encourage domestic production and increase it, we can reduce dependence on imports and lead to self-sufficiency in the next few years," said Makmun.

Director of Environment and Industry PT Sucofindo Budi Utomo said that the assistance was a form of his party's commitment to supporting the strengthening of the livestock processing industry, especially chicken eggs.

"We see the huge potential for egg production in Blitar. If the right downstreaming is carried out, it can have a positive impact on increasing added value, stabilizing prices, and of course the welfare of farmers," said Budi.

Budi said CSR support was provided in the form of human resource training, preparation of quality system documents, strengthening production process facilities, and mentoring to the acquisition of HACCP certification.

"This certification is important to expand market access and increase consumer confidence in local egg flour products," he said again.

Budi further said that PT Sucofindo as an experienced SOE since 1956 expressed full readiness to assist livestock MSMEs in obtaining quality certification.

"We are ready to work together more broadly, including collaborating with food SOEs such as ID Food to support the expansion of the national egg flour industry," concluded Budi.