TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government is set to import 180,000 tons of beef and 100,000 tons of buffalo meat ahead of Ramadan, which falls in March this year. This move aims to stabilize meat prices, which have been impacted by the resurgence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) that has reduced local supply.

“Earlier, the minister of agriculture [Andi Amran Sulaiman] mentioned the reemergence of FMD. Considering this, it was decided to import 180,000 tons of regular beef. As for buffalo meat, the annual need is approximately 100,000 tons,” said National Food Agency (Bapanas) head Arief Prasetyo Adi during a press briefing at the Coordinating Ministry for Food in Jakarta, on January 22.

Arief explained that the decision to import 180,000 tons of beef was finalized in a previous food-sector coordination meeting. Meanwhile, the assignment to import 100,000 tons of buffalo meat was confirmed in a recent coordination meeting summary reviewed by Tempo.

However, Arief refrained from discussing details about the buffalo meat import before the official meeting resolutions were released. He emphasized that such decisions are collective efforts involving the Ministry of Agriculture, which issues import recommendations, the Ministry of Trade, which provides import permits, and Bapanas, which calculates the national demand. “The checks and balances are working as they should,” he stated.

In the past, the government has tasked meat import duties to state-owned enterprises under ID Food or Bulog. This year, however, Bulog has already been burdened with the procurement of 3 million tons of rice by April 2025. With a purchase price averaging Rp12,000 per kilogram, this undertaking is projected to require Rp36 trillion. “That’s a significant financial commitment,” noted Arief, a former president director of PT RNI (Persero).

Documents obtained by Tempo indicate that the responsibility for importing meat will primarily be assigned to PT Berdikari. The company has handled government-mandated imports of frozen beef from Brazil and frozen buffalo meat from India since 2018.

In recent years, the government has shifted the responsibility for buffalo meat imports from Bulog to PT Berdikari and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI). This decision was solidified during a coordination meeting chaired by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto at the Kempinski Hotel in Jakarta on March 28, 2024.

However, concerns have emerged regarding rising costs. Reports suggest that both Berdikari and PPI used PT Suri Nusantara Jaya (Suri Group) as their distributor, which has contributed to higher prices for imported meat.

Khairul Anam contributed to this article. 

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