Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The Indonesian Ministry of Trade has approved meat imports for 117,000 tons of beef and buffalo meat to secure domestic supply ahead of Eid Al-Fitr in 2025.
The approval was announced by the head of Indonesia’s National Food Agency (Bapanas), Arief Prasetyo Adi, during a coordination meeting on Stabilization of Food Supply and Prices (SPHP) ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
Iqbal Shofan Shofwan, Director General of Domestic Trade at the Ministry of Trade, confirmed that the imports permit. “The import approval covers both beef and buffalo meat, with a total volume of 117,000 tons,” Iqbal said, as reported by Bisnis.
He noted that the approvals had been issued several days earlier. However, he did not specify the exact breakdown between the two types of meat.
Meat Imports
Indonesia has set a total meat import target of 280,000 tons for 2025, consisting of 100,000 tons of beef and 100,000 tons of buffalo meat designated for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and an additional 80,000 tons of cattle meat for general business players.
Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, had tasked state-owned food enterprises with overseeing meat imports. This decision was made during a limited coordination meeting on food commodity balance adjustments for 2025, attended by relevant ministries and government agencies.
Zulkifli emphasized that the import policy aims to ensure sufficient meat stock in the domestic market. “This aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to lower the price of buffalo meat so that it becomes more affordable for the broader public,” Zulkifli said in an official statement on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
He added that the decision was part of a broader effort to maintain the balance between food supply and prices, particularly ahead of major religious holidays.
Parliamentary Response
Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) has raised concerns over the government’s continued reliance on beef and buffalo meat imports to stabilize supply ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.
According to Kontan.co.id, Johan Rosihan, a member of Commission IV of the DPR, argued that the decision contradicts President Prabowo Subianto’s vision of achieving national food self-sufficiency, which should prioritize domestic production.
“True food security can only be achieved if we are self-sufficient in production. The Asta Cita Food Security vision demands strong support for local farmers and ranchers, rather than resorting to imports as a quick fix,” Johan said in a written statement on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
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Johan called on the government to strengthen Indonesia’s livestock sector to reduce reliance on imported meat. He argued that recurring meat imports highlight the country’s weak long-term strategy in achieving food independence.
He urged the National Food Agency (Bapanas), as the primary authority on food policy, to take more decisive action to ensure domestic production meets national demand without continued dependence on imports.
(Raidi/Agung)
