Govt prepares 1.5 million hectares of land for free milk scheme

[ad_1]

To achieve self-sufficiency in milk, we must have dairy cows and grasslands…

Yogyakarta(ANTARA) –
The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing 1.5 million hectares of dairy pastures to support the free lunch and milk program proposed by the president-elect and vice-president this year.

“We are looking for no less than 1.5 million hectares of land across the country,” Professor Ali Agus, the ministry’s downstream expert on livestock products, said on Friday.

He said the land area was calculated based on the feed requirement of 1.5 million dairy cows imported from various countries.

He said the ministry was still planning potential land to support the plan.

Potential land includes highlands in Palu city in Central Sulawesi; Berastagi in North Sumatra; and Palembang near Muara Enim in South Sumatra.

“There is almost no land dedicated to growing cattle grass. Our land is either forest, garden, oil palm plantation or crops,” Agus explained.

Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture is also providing land preparation services to oil palm growers in Palembang. These growers are also expected to raise livestock.

“To achieve self-sufficiency in milk, we must have cows and also pasture. That’s what we are striving for,” he said.

Meanwhile, Agus revealed that in order to prepare 1.5 million dairy cows, the government is exploring import opportunities with New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Brazil.

The ministry will also work with the private sector and investors in each country to map the land needed for livestock farming.

The delegation met with investors from the Middle East, China and Vietnam in this regard.

Local dairy farmers will also be involved in the financing model being developed.

“We will provide credit, insurance and interest subsidy to farmers,” he said.

[ad_2]

Source link