Indonesia to import 1 million dairy cows for Prabowo’s free meals scheme

The government forecasts milk demand will hit 8.5 million tonnes by 2029. Indonesia’s current milk output is estimated at 1 million tonnes

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Dairy cows drink from a trough after being milked at a farm in the US. Photo: AP

Published: 2:02pm, 6 Nov 2024

Indonesia plans to import 1 million dairy cows from 2025 to 2028 in a move to increase milk production needed for the president’s free meals programme, according to agriculture ministry data presented at a parliamentary hearing.

The free meals programme for 83 million people was a key election promise of President Prabowo Subianto, who took office last month.

The ministry data showed the programme would need 3.6 million tonnes of milk when running at full scale in 2029, bringing total national demand to 8.5 million tonnes.

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“The programme to increase milk and beef production aims to support the strategic programme of the cabinet, namely free meals,” Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman told the parliamentary hearing on Tuesday.

This year, Indonesia’s milk output is estimated at 1 million tonnes, while demand is estimated at 4.7 million tonnes.

With the imported dairy cows, the government expects milk output in 2029 would reach 8.17 million tonmes, the presentation showed.

Potential sources of the dairy cows include Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, US and Mexico, the ministry said.