Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry is preparing 1.5 million ha of grazing land for dairy cattle to support the Free Lunch and Milk Programme proposed by President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The ministry's expert staff for livestock products downstreaming, Professor Ali Agus, told media that local authorities are looking for land of no less than 1.5 million ha throughout the country to implement the national programme.
The land area has been calculated based on the feed requirement for 1.5 million dairy cattle imported from various countries.
According to Ali, the potential land includes the highlands of Palu city, Central Sulawesi; Berastagi, North Sumatra; and Palembang near Muara Enim, South Sumatra.
However. there is almost no land specifically designated for planting grass for cows. All of the land is either forests, gardens, oil palm plantations, or crops, he said.
He said the ministry is considering socialising the land preparation to oil palm farmers in Palembang. Those farmers are expected to also raise cattle.
He said to achieve milk self-sufficiency, Indonesia must have cows and grassland. Meanwhile, to prepare 1.5 million dairy cows, Indonesia is exploring import opportunities with New Zealand, Australia, the US, and Brazil./.
