Semarang, C Java (ANTARA News) - Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo suggested that milk imports from other countries should be reduced but imports of young milch cows must be increased.

"About 70 percent of the national need for milk are imported while another 30 percent are met by locally produced milk," the governor said here on Saturday.

He said that the big volumes of imported milk had caused local milch cow breeders to face difficulty in developing their business because imported milk put on the market usually had better quality and cheaper price.

Bibit Waluyo said that the large volumes of imported milk had caused breeders to think twice if they wanted to increase their production because the price of milk was not comparable to the maintenance cost of breeders.

The governor said that the price a litter of milk at the breeders level now was recorded at only between Rp2,400 and Rp3,100. This is no match with the price of fodder (particularly concentrate) whose price continue to increase.

With such a milk price, breeders were only able to buy two kilograms per day of cattle food, the governor said.

A014/HAJM

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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