REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, The government should halt offal imports as it is a setback to the development of the agriculture and trade sectors, a Commission IV member of the House of Representatives Hermanto stated.

"The offal import policy is not favorable for the people engaged in animal farming, has a dire impact on human health, and can lower the nation's prestige since the foreign beef offal is used as animal and pet feed," Hermanto noted in his statement here on Friday.

The politician of the Prosperous Justice Party also stated that his party had agreed on the government's plan to lower the beef price to Rp80 thousand per kilogram.

However, the beef prices cannot be lowered by merely importing offal as people of the lower income group cannot afford to buy beef, he explained.

Thus, his side also offers a solution to the high beef price issue by urging the government to continue implementing the beef self-sufficiency program and developing animal farms.

"The government policy on (offal import) should be comprehensive, meaning it is not only about the management of its supply but should also take into account its demand," Hermanto pointed out.

Earlier, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman had stated that the government's policy on the import of offal from India would be adjusted in line with the domestic demand.

"Offal is a very small matter. In case, we need to import offal, we will do (import it)," the minister stated after a discussion in Bandung (West Java) on Wednesday (July 20).

The agriculture ministry is currently focusing on reducing the price of meat through the secondary cut pattern, Amran noted further.

"That (offal) is a very small case. Do you know that the domestic prices of offal fluctuate between Rp60 thousand and Rp97 thousand per kilogram? My question is 'Do the people want to buy at a high price?' In the United States, the price of offal is only US$1," the minister explained.

Amran also pointed out that his policy will have its own pros and cons, and protests had erupted when he imported frozen meat before the previous Eid al-Fitr or Lebaran festivities.

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