Minister Of Agriculture Guarantees Safe National Food Stock Ahead Of Ramadan, For Fixed Prices Fluctuating Depending On Global

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo (right) accompanied by Aceh Governor Nova Iriansyah (ANTARA)

ACEH - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Syahrul Yasin Limpo ensures the availability of all national food commodities is safe ahead of the month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 1443 Hijri.

"Food stocks are safe, the price is volatile," said Syahrul during a working visit to Aceh Province and attending the Rice Harvest Movement in Aceh Besar District, Antara, Friday, March 4.

The Minister of Agriculture said that the most important thing is the availability of food to meet the needs of the community during Ramadan. But regarding prices, he said, however, global price fluctuations will still affect Indonesia. "But if we look at the productivity of our (food) availability, it is sufficient. Including meat is very sufficient," said Syahrul.

Previously, Minister of Agriculture Syahrul ensured that cattle stocks for North Sumatra and Aceh were safe after observing cattle farms in the Deli Serdang area, North Sumatra.

"The availability of meat for the people of North Sumatra and its surroundings is safe and sufficient until Eid al-Fitr," said Minister of Agriculture Syahrul in a written statement received in Jakarta, Thursday.

Minister of Agriculture visited PT. Juang Jaya Abdi Alam in Deli Serdang, which is a livestock company that focuses on fattening Brahman Cross cattle imported from Australia. The largest cattle breeding company in Sumatra has 3,600 cows in Deli Serdang and 18,000 in Lampung.

Minister Syahrul said that he believed that the availability of ready-to-be slaughtered cattle was sufficient to meet the needs of the North Sumatra region and its surroundings until May-June.

"By looking at the availability in Java, which we visited yesterday, especially Jabodetabek, Sulawesi, and today we are in North Sumatra, everything is safe, as what they reported to us is the same as in the field, and we can see that the availability of cattle is sufficient," said the Minister of Agriculture.

Based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture as of March 2, 2022, the availability of beef or buffalo from March to May 2022 was 234,091.2 tons, while the demand for meat was 202,937.8 tons, so there is still a surplus of 31,153.4 tons.

The availability of the meat consists of local beef/buffalo production of 445,884 heads or the equivalent of 80,268.0 tons of meat, imported feeder cattle ready to be slaughtered in March-May as many as 143,464 heads or the equivalent of 27,500.6 tons of frozen beef/buffalo. 95,114.8 tons.