Indonesia Accelerates Beef and Cattle Imports
INDONESIA - The Indonesian Ministry of Trade is to accelerate imports of beef and cattle to ensure beef availability and the stabilisation of beef prices in the lead up to Ramadan this year” (from 9 July to 7 August) - one of the high beef consumption periods in the Indonesian market.Meat and Livestock Australia said that this recent announcement includes an exemption of “prime beef cuts” from any assessment of national demand and quota calculation, with condition that it only enters Indonesia through specified airports by airfreight.
The government has also appointed the National Food Logistic Agency (Bulog) to partake in the importation of meat for animal and animal product, in order to maintain food security and stabilise national beef prices at consumer levels.
Some regulatory alterations are required to implement these changes and therefore it remains unknown as to when they will take effect and to what extent they will improve the trade, if any.
Indonesian beef imports during the first two months of 2013 were 35 per cent below the corresponding period last year, at 2,738 tonnes according to the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics.
MLA said that beef imports from Australia were down 24 per cent year-on-year, at 2,359 tonnes.
However, the Australian imported beef market share in the Indonesian market increased from 74 per cent (or 3,084 tonnes) in the first two months of 2012 to 86 per cent in the first two months of 2013. Beef imports from NZ dropped significantly during the first two months, with a 64 per cent fall, to 332 tonnes.
TheCattleSite News Desk