South Kalimantan govt encourages companies to develop cattle farm

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The South Kalimantan government encourages private sector to develop animal farming in an effort to support the 2022 cattle self-sufficiency program.

Head of South Kalimantan Plantation and Livestock Agency drh Suparmi here on Thursday said that Governor Sahbirin Noor has determined that the province will be cattle self-sufficiency by 2022, thus all parties needed to support the attainment.

Some of the efforts that have been made include the integration of oil palm-cattle program, namely by utilizing oil palm plantation for low-cost cattle development.

This program will overcome the limitation of feed by utilizing palm fronds as feed, while cow waste (dung) as fertilizer for oil palm plants.

It just that to develop the program is impossible to be funded by the state or local budget. "So we invite private companies to develop the program, thus the target of South Kalimantan cattle self-sufficiency will be realized," she said.

Nowadays, the South Kalimantan needs of cattle are still being met from various regions, such as Bali, East Java, and others.

According to Suparmi, the price of cattle from outside is cheaper than that of cattle developed in the province. Why? Because the costs of cattle breeding in cattle producing areas are cheaper than in the province.

By carrying out the oil palm-cattle integration program, said Suparmi, South Kalimantan will be able to produce cattle at low cost, so that the price of cattle in the province will also be cheaper.

"We hope,if this program is successful, in the future South Kalimantan will also be a supplier of cattle for other region, such as Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and others," he said.

Not only in South Kalimantan but the oil palm-cattle integration program has also been adopted by other regions and the results were very beneficial for breeders and farmers.

The second effort is to increase broodstocks that have been supported by the central government. By adding broodstocks, the cattle population acceleration program will be achieved more quickly.

Previously, the government had implemented a must pregnant cows program. This program has been changed into the country's leading commodity cow-buffalo program or the so-called Si Komdan program.

Through this program, until December 2020, South Kalimantan has had as many as 25 thousand calves.

Another program to be carried out, Suparmi added, is by adding broodstocks from outside the region, and intervention to reduce the slaughter of cow mothers or broodstocks.