JAKARTA, June 24 (Reuters) - Indonesia aims to place an import quota on beef and live cattle imports this year as it tries to boost domestic production and cut imports, a senior agriculture official said on Thursday.
Indonesia consumes about 430,000 tonnes of beef annually and imports about 16 percent of consumption from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It also imports an average 700,000 heads of feeder steer annually, data from the agriculture ministry shows.
'We plan to apply an import quota on beef and livestock imports. Hopefully, we can implement it this year,' said Tjeppy D. Sudjana, the director general for livestock at the agriculture ministry, without elaborating on what the quota would be.
The ministry is preparing a notification letter to the World Trade Organization to inform it of the planned change in livestock import policy, Sudjana said.
Indonesia wants to achieve self-sufficiency in food, including beef, and has targeted production of 546,000 tonnes of beef, from an expected 410,000 tonnes this year.
(Reporting by Yayat Supriatna; Writing by Fitri Wulandari; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)
((fitri.wulandari@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: fitri.wulandari.reuters.com@reuters.net; +62 21 384 6364 ext 904)) Keywords: LIVESTOCK INDONESIA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Indonesia consumes about 430,000 tonnes of beef annually and imports about 16 percent of consumption from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It also imports an average 700,000 heads of feeder steer annually, data from the agriculture ministry shows.
'We plan to apply an import quota on beef and livestock imports. Hopefully, we can implement it this year,' said Tjeppy D. Sudjana, the director general for livestock at the agriculture ministry, without elaborating on what the quota would be.
The ministry is preparing a notification letter to the World Trade Organization to inform it of the planned change in livestock import policy, Sudjana said.
Indonesia wants to achieve self-sufficiency in food, including beef, and has targeted production of 546,000 tonnes of beef, from an expected 410,000 tonnes this year.
(Reporting by Yayat Supriatna; Writing by Fitri Wulandari; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)
((fitri.wulandari@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: fitri.wulandari.reuters.com@reuters.net; +62 21 384 6364 ext 904)) Keywords: LIVESTOCK INDONESIA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.