Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has officially removed import quotas on live cattle in a bid to secure long-term supplies of beef and dairy, the government announced over the weekend.
The new policy, unveiled by Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, allows the unlimited importation of live cattle for multiple purposes – including fattening, slaughter, and milk production – in an effort to strengthen the country's livestock industry and ensure a stable domestic supply.
"We're now fully opening up live cattle imports, whether for beef, fattening, or dairy purposes. It's unrestricted," Zulkifli said, as quoted by state news agency Antara on Sunday.
He added that eliminating the quota system would support local farms in scaling up both the volume and quality of dairy production, while reinforcing the overall supply chain from upstream to downstream.
"There are no more quotas. It's now completely open," he reiterated.
The announcement comes days after Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono revealed that Indonesia plans to import up to 2 million live cattle over the next five years. Of that number, 1.2 million will be dedicated to dairy production, and 800,000 to beef supply.
For 2025 alone, the government has targeted the import of 250,000 cattle to meet both meat and milk demand.
According to Agriculture Ministry data, Indonesia's current dairy cattle population stands at approximately 500,000, sufficient to meet only 20 percent of the country's total milk needs. The expanded import policy is seen as a strategic move to close that gap and reduce reliance on milk and meat imports in the long term.