Zulhas Will Open Wheat Import Faucet For Livestock Feed

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

Coordinating Minister for the Food Agency (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan revealed that the government will open the tap for importing wheat for animal feed. He said this step was taken to meet the needs of domestic breeders.

Furthermore, Zulhas, as he is familiarly called, said that this import was carried out to maintain the price of corn needed for public consumption.

Later there will be a replacement for corn for feed, there will be wheat, wheat for feed. That's cheap. Now, we will square it later. But don't misquote the wheat for feed, not wheat in general, but wheat for feed, animal feed," he said at a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Jakarta, Monday, January 6.

Zulhas said that the import of animal feed wheat would later follow the quota set out in the coordination meeting of the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs.

Even so, Zulhas said that the quota for imported wheat feed from livestock has not been determined for now. Including where the country came from from imports.

"That, if imports must be decided in the meeting, the coordination meeting, the coordination meeting must be decided in the coordination meeting," he said.

Furthermore, Zulhas ensured that the government also ensured that the import of wheat would not flood the domestic market. That way it does not interfere with the distribution of corn from local farmers' crops.

"Because if it's a flood, later the corn won't be absorbed by factories, because it's been replaced by farmer wheat. Later, the price will fall again, farmers will be difficult again. So it needs to be coordinated," he said.