Encouraging The UMKM Sector, The Ministry Of Agriculture Invites The Public To Consume Processed Buffalo Milk

Milk illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Fresh milk is usually produced from dairy cows or dairy goats. However, in Indonesia, water buffalo can also be produced. Because of its uniqueness, the Ministry of Agriculture invites the public to maintain the existence of this dairy buffalo. One of the ways is by consuming processed buffalo milk.

Director General of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health (Dirjen PKH) of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), I Ketut Diarmita said, various preparations derived from this unique buffalo can be found in several regions in Indonesia. For example, culinary Dangke in Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi.

Then, curd culinary in West Sumatra and Dali Ni Horbo or Batak Bread in North Sumatra and Milk Candy in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). According to Ketut, these various culinary delights can even become a home-scale industry or micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM) for the local community.

"For example, they can be used as souvenirs, souvenirs, icons or special markers from certain areas," he said, in an official statement received by VOI, in Jakarta, Saturday, July 4.

Ketut said that the various culinary delights were produced from special clumps of buffalo, namely river buffalo, not buffalo commonly found everyday. This buffalo has a higher ability to produce milk and has a characteristic horn shape.

Furthermore, Ketut explained, because the ability to produce milk is higher than other types of buffalo, this river buffalo is better known as the dairy buffalo.

But unfortunately, the dairy buffalo, which is one of Indonesia's germplasm wealth, is starting to be threatened. Because of this, Ketut considered, a special approach was needed to maintain it. One way is by using a culinary approach to develop the population.

"With this approach, it will be related to tourism events, namely culinary delights that can become a characteristic of the region concerned," he said.

According to Ketut, domestic or foreign tourists will certainly enjoy the regional characteristics of this dairy buffalo culinary. He assessed that the loss of a dairy buffalo means the loss of one of the civilizations of the region concerned.

"Let's keep the unique dairy buffalo which is one of Indonesia's germplasm wealth. Let's eat a variety of culinary preparations from Indonesian buffalo milk. Milk is delicious, nutritious, delicious, Indonesia is healthy," he said.

Government Focuses on Dairy Buffalo Breeding

Director of Livestock Breeding and Production, Directorate General of PKH, Ministry of Agriculture, Sugiono, explained that milk production from dairy buffalo is slightly higher than mud buffalo, because it is kept for milk. Daily milk production can reach 6-8 liters, while mud buffalo when milked only produces 1-3 liters.

Sugiono explained, as government support from the production side of livestock seeds and seedlings, the population and production of dairy buffalo seedlings is focused at the Center for Superior Cattle and Forage Animal Feed (BPTU-HPT) Siborong-borong and the production of seeds by the Lembang Artificial Insemination Center (BIB).

The 2015-2019 period has distributed 38 dairy buffaloes to the buffalo center area in North Sumatra. Currently, the population of dairy buffaloes in BPTU-HPT Siborong-borong is approximately only 80, so BPTU-HPT Siborong-borong is considered the last bastion for dairy buffalo conservation.

"While the production of river buffalo seeds (frozen cement) produced by BIB Lembang, 75,107 doses of river buffalo have been distributed to 23 provinces with potential for river buffalo development in Indonesia," he said.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture's Directorate General of PKH has also provided assistance as many as 67 heads to four provinces, namely North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and NTB. Until June 2020 it has grown to 76 heads. This assistance has been provided through the development of dairy buffalo cultivation and group strengthening since 2019.

"This location is a buffalo center area and culturally generally breeders milk the buffalo, and it is processed into a special food. Let's eat a variety of processed culinary from Indonesian buffalo milk. Delicious, nutritious, delicious milk, healthy Indonesia," he said.

For your information, the difference between regular buffalo and dairy buffalo in terms of physicality is the horns. Buffalo ordinary horns shaped like a semicircle extending inward. Meanwhile, the horns of the dairy buffalo are pointed outward, slightly coiled above its head is relatively short.

There are two types of buffalo, namely the mud buffalo which is commonly encountered and often wallows in muddy waters. The second type of buffalo is the dairy buffalo whose habitat is more towards the water, such as a river, so it can also be called a river buffalo.

However, both types of buffalo are equally happy with wallowing. Both also have thinner skin than cows, have few sweat glands so they can't stand the sun's heat.