`Land with one million cows program` in Indonesia should have tangible result

Antara 21 Mar 10;

Mataram, (ANTARA News) - The "Land with One Million Cows Program" (BSS) in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) should have a tangible result at the end of this year, an official said.

"Such a program has been calculated in its funds and the number of cow population, and therefore it should have a tangible result at the end of this year," NTB provincial administration` public relations chief M Faozal said here on Saturday.

Seeing that the result of the program was still unclear, Governor Zainul Majdi had to suspend a working contract with around 45 Regional Forces Working Units (SKPD), including West Nusa Tenggara Animal Husbandry Service.

"The working contract with around 45 SKPD will be resumed until after all of them improve their performance at the end of this year on in December 1010," Governor Zainul Majdi said.

According to the governor, the BSS program was expected to be able to increase the population of cows in the province and income of cow breeders.

"The program was launched in December 2008 and ever since the cow population in the province increased significantly," the governor said.

Data from NTB Animal Husbandry Service indicated that the cow population in the province in 2008 increased by 546,114 and then rose to 683,347 in 2009, while in 2010 it is expected to rise by 780,772.

Therefore, the Land of One Million Cow program got a serious attention from the central government to be applied in the other provinces in Indonesia.

West Nusa Tenggara is known to have rice stock as well as livestock in abundance, and thus the province sends not less than 35,000 cows every year to Jakarta and West Java to meet the meat demand of the people.

In addition, the province also shipped at least 9,000 cows per year to Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, Papua, and Sumatra.(*)