Samarinda, E Kalimantan, Dec 28 (Antara) - Indonesia`s second largest province, with land territory of 198,441 square meters or 1.5 times as large as the island of Java, is set to become a major beef producer.
The province, which is known to be rich in natural resources, a major producer of coal and oil and gas, hopes to open large cattle farms.
The provincial administration wants to transform its wide idle lands into productive areas. It already planted millions of hectares of its lands with commercially valuable oil palm crop.
While the province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is launching a program of NTB Sejuta Sapi (NTB a million cows), the provincial administration of East Kalimantan is not to be left behind setting a more ambitious program to raise 2 million cows in 2018.
East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak has announced a program of two million cows to be raised in the district and city areas in East Kalimantan. The province would no have to rely on supply from other regions for beef or live cows, the governor said.
In order to achieve the target plans have been made including a program calling for each far family to raise at least two cows.
"It is as simple as that," Awang Faroek Ishak said here recently.
A farm family is only required to set aside a piece of land and a stable to raise cowsa, he said.
Awang Faroek said he was set to achieve the target during his term of office to last until 2018. He was reinstalled governor for another five year on 17 December 2013.
East Kalimantan Governor recalled his experience during his past five year term as governor of East Kalimantan.
When was installed new governor five year earlier, he set a target to open 1 million hectares of oil palm plantation in that province and that target was a reality well ahead of the termination of his fist five year term.
In his second five year term, he came up again with another ambitious plan of the province raising 2 million cows by 2018 when he is to step down as the governor of the big province.
He said in order to achieve the target, East Kalimantan would rely not only on local suppliers or support from the central government for cow breeders.
He said he plans to establish cooperation with district and city administrations , the private sector including livestock farmers.
He said the provincial animal husbandry office and other related agencies to focus on the program.
Each year East Kalimantan has to be raise 400 new cows that in five years it would have two million cows, he said.
Awang Faroek told the provincial animal husbandry office to work side by side with the private sector and intensify coordination with the district and city administrations to fully utilize idle lands for cow farms.
He said oil palm plantations could even be used as grazing fields.
"I am optimistic the target is viable especially as integrated cow-oil palm program has been intensively launched lately.
"Oil palm plantations could be used to raise cows and oil palm waste could be used for feed and cow dung could be used as manure to fertilize land," he said.
The oil palm-cow integration system is already included in the Mid Term Strategic Plan for Animal Husbandry Development in East Kalimantan from 2013-2018.
Head of the provincial animal husbandry office Dadang Sudarya said the prospects of integrating business in oil palm plantation and cow farms are encouraging with the fast expanding oil palm plantations in that province.
In a bid to bring to success the program, the office continues to keep communications with oil palm plantation companies in that province as some of the plantations companies still need to be convinced about the profitability of the program, Dadang said.
It is very encouraging that the Ministry of State Enterprises has instructed state plantation companies to implement the program to contribute to achieving the government target of self sufficiency in meat supply, he said.
In the first phase, the oil palm plantation-cow farm integration plan would be implemented with state plantation companies. Such cooperation with the private sector would be developed after the implementation with state companies has been running well.
In fact small scale cooperation has been progressing between small livestock farmers with local oil palm plantation in some areas such as in the regency of Paser.
Large scale plan with policy support from the government is still in the early stage of preparations.
Dadang said the program would benefit both sides - the oil palm plantation and cow farms - in a symbiotic relationship.
"The waste of livestock farms would produce manure for the oil palm plantations and on the other hand, the oil palm waste could be used as feed for the livestock," he said
The cow breeders do not have to go to any trouble to collect fodder as the oil palm plantation waste would be more than enough to feed their cows, and the plantation companies do not have to hire workers to clear the remove the waste .
Another benefit is that the cost of buying fertilizer could be saved by 40 percent with the manure.
Dadang said a hectare of oil palm plantation could provide feed fro two cows everyday . That means a plantation of 600 hectares of oil palm plantation could feed 1,200 cows everyday.
The cows could also be used for the transport of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm trees loaded in a cart.
Livestock farm could also be developed in abandoned mining area. In East Kalimantan there are many mining companies producing coal , oil and gas and other minerals. The mining concession would be abandoned after the minerals have been depleted and the land would be open for other purposes such as farm land including livestock farms.
PESAT breeding center
Using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund, mining company Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) in cooperation with experts from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), had started work to transform abandoned coal mining area into an Integrated Cow Breeding Center(PESAT).
"I gladly welcome development of cow farms in abandoned mining areas," Agriculture Minister Suswono said when officially commissioning PESAT in Sangata, Kutai Timur recently attended by Kutai Timur Regent Isran Noor.
The minister said it was the first successful reclamation of abandoned mining area into he had ever found, Suswono said, describing the PESAT program carried out by KPC an appreciable breakthrough.
He hoped the project could serve as an example for other coal mining companies in the province.
"If reclamation is handled properly, abandoned mining areas could be re-vegetated into productive lands growing farm crops including food crops and raise cattle," he said.
The PESAT program was already offered by KPC to be carried out together with IPB in 2009.
Suswono hoped that the program of integrating oil palm plantations and car farms would grow well in Kalimantan as corridor for three zones of Master plan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development (MP3EI).
Kalimantan has around 5 million hectares of oil palm plantations, of which a million hectares in East Kalimantan .
If each hectare of the oil palm plantation has two cows, Indonesia would be more than self sufficient in cow supply.
"The opportunity for success is big in cow farm business. With per capita consumption of 2.5 kg of beef a year, Indonesia still needs to import beef equivalent to 600,000 live cows or 20 percent of the domestic beef requirement," the minister said.
Meanwhile, the provincial administration of East Kalimantan has offered and made available Rp1.9 trillion in capital aid in the form of farm credit to be provided by Bank Pembangunan Kaltim, a bank owned by the regional administration.
The credit is provided under the scheme of Kredit Ternak Sejahtera for plasma farmers.
The agriculture sector is expected to be the economic backbone of East Kalimantan in the future.
"Oil and gas and coal reserves could be been depleted and when that time has come we would be ready with the farm sector," Suswono said .
The regional administration has been a priority in the regional economic development. The animal husbandry sector has expanded rapidly under administration of Governor Awang Faroek Ishak.
The population of livestock in the province is relatively small, but it growing . In 2009, the province had a cow population of 101,176 , rising to 108,648 cows in the following year and to 116,797 cows by the end of June 2013.(*)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Kalimantan Timur 2013
The province, which is known to be rich in natural resources, a major producer of coal and oil and gas, hopes to open large cattle farms.
The provincial administration wants to transform its wide idle lands into productive areas. It already planted millions of hectares of its lands with commercially valuable oil palm crop.
While the province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is launching a program of NTB Sejuta Sapi (NTB a million cows), the provincial administration of East Kalimantan is not to be left behind setting a more ambitious program to raise 2 million cows in 2018.
East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak has announced a program of two million cows to be raised in the district and city areas in East Kalimantan. The province would no have to rely on supply from other regions for beef or live cows, the governor said.
In order to achieve the target plans have been made including a program calling for each far family to raise at least two cows.
"It is as simple as that," Awang Faroek Ishak said here recently.
A farm family is only required to set aside a piece of land and a stable to raise cowsa, he said.
Awang Faroek said he was set to achieve the target during his term of office to last until 2018. He was reinstalled governor for another five year on 17 December 2013.
East Kalimantan Governor recalled his experience during his past five year term as governor of East Kalimantan.
When was installed new governor five year earlier, he set a target to open 1 million hectares of oil palm plantation in that province and that target was a reality well ahead of the termination of his fist five year term.
In his second five year term, he came up again with another ambitious plan of the province raising 2 million cows by 2018 when he is to step down as the governor of the big province.
He said in order to achieve the target, East Kalimantan would rely not only on local suppliers or support from the central government for cow breeders.
He said he plans to establish cooperation with district and city administrations , the private sector including livestock farmers.
He said the provincial animal husbandry office and other related agencies to focus on the program.
Each year East Kalimantan has to be raise 400 new cows that in five years it would have two million cows, he said.
Awang Faroek told the provincial animal husbandry office to work side by side with the private sector and intensify coordination with the district and city administrations to fully utilize idle lands for cow farms.
He said oil palm plantations could even be used as grazing fields.
"I am optimistic the target is viable especially as integrated cow-oil palm program has been intensively launched lately.
"Oil palm plantations could be used to raise cows and oil palm waste could be used for feed and cow dung could be used as manure to fertilize land," he said.
The oil palm-cow integration system is already included in the Mid Term Strategic Plan for Animal Husbandry Development in East Kalimantan from 2013-2018.
Head of the provincial animal husbandry office Dadang Sudarya said the prospects of integrating business in oil palm plantation and cow farms are encouraging with the fast expanding oil palm plantations in that province.
In a bid to bring to success the program, the office continues to keep communications with oil palm plantation companies in that province as some of the plantations companies still need to be convinced about the profitability of the program, Dadang said.
It is very encouraging that the Ministry of State Enterprises has instructed state plantation companies to implement the program to contribute to achieving the government target of self sufficiency in meat supply, he said.
In the first phase, the oil palm plantation-cow farm integration plan would be implemented with state plantation companies. Such cooperation with the private sector would be developed after the implementation with state companies has been running well.
In fact small scale cooperation has been progressing between small livestock farmers with local oil palm plantation in some areas such as in the regency of Paser.
Large scale plan with policy support from the government is still in the early stage of preparations.
Dadang said the program would benefit both sides - the oil palm plantation and cow farms - in a symbiotic relationship.
"The waste of livestock farms would produce manure for the oil palm plantations and on the other hand, the oil palm waste could be used as feed for the livestock," he said
The cow breeders do not have to go to any trouble to collect fodder as the oil palm plantation waste would be more than enough to feed their cows, and the plantation companies do not have to hire workers to clear the remove the waste .
Another benefit is that the cost of buying fertilizer could be saved by 40 percent with the manure.
Dadang said a hectare of oil palm plantation could provide feed fro two cows everyday . That means a plantation of 600 hectares of oil palm plantation could feed 1,200 cows everyday.
The cows could also be used for the transport of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm trees loaded in a cart.
Livestock farm could also be developed in abandoned mining area. In East Kalimantan there are many mining companies producing coal , oil and gas and other minerals. The mining concession would be abandoned after the minerals have been depleted and the land would be open for other purposes such as farm land including livestock farms.
PESAT breeding center
Using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund, mining company Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) in cooperation with experts from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), had started work to transform abandoned coal mining area into an Integrated Cow Breeding Center(PESAT).
"I gladly welcome development of cow farms in abandoned mining areas," Agriculture Minister Suswono said when officially commissioning PESAT in Sangata, Kutai Timur recently attended by Kutai Timur Regent Isran Noor.
The minister said it was the first successful reclamation of abandoned mining area into he had ever found, Suswono said, describing the PESAT program carried out by KPC an appreciable breakthrough.
He hoped the project could serve as an example for other coal mining companies in the province.
"If reclamation is handled properly, abandoned mining areas could be re-vegetated into productive lands growing farm crops including food crops and raise cattle," he said.
The PESAT program was already offered by KPC to be carried out together with IPB in 2009.
Suswono hoped that the program of integrating oil palm plantations and car farms would grow well in Kalimantan as corridor for three zones of Master plan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development (MP3EI).
Kalimantan has around 5 million hectares of oil palm plantations, of which a million hectares in East Kalimantan .
If each hectare of the oil palm plantation has two cows, Indonesia would be more than self sufficient in cow supply.
"The opportunity for success is big in cow farm business. With per capita consumption of 2.5 kg of beef a year, Indonesia still needs to import beef equivalent to 600,000 live cows or 20 percent of the domestic beef requirement," the minister said.
Meanwhile, the provincial administration of East Kalimantan has offered and made available Rp1.9 trillion in capital aid in the form of farm credit to be provided by Bank Pembangunan Kaltim, a bank owned by the regional administration.
The credit is provided under the scheme of Kredit Ternak Sejahtera for plasma farmers.
The agriculture sector is expected to be the economic backbone of East Kalimantan in the future.
"Oil and gas and coal reserves could be been depleted and when that time has come we would be ready with the farm sector," Suswono said .
The regional administration has been a priority in the regional economic development. The animal husbandry sector has expanded rapidly under administration of Governor Awang Faroek Ishak.
The population of livestock in the province is relatively small, but it growing . In 2009, the province had a cow population of 101,176 , rising to 108,648 cows in the following year and to 116,797 cows by the end of June 2013.(*)
Editor : Masnun
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Kalimantan Timur 2013