**Jakarta, ECNETNews -** The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Sudaryono, has stated that he is not yet aware of the plan regarding fish milk being explored as an alternative to cow’s milk in the free nutritious food and milk program under the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration for the 2024-2029 period. He speculated that fish milk could possibly refer to a milk product derived from fish.
“Honestly, I haven’t monitored this fish milk issue, whether it refers to milk substituted with fish. But I have not followed it closely; maybe it is a milk product that contains fish, similar to soy milk. Fish does not provide milk after all. If there’s misleading information circulating online, I am not tracking it,” said Sudaryono at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on September 11, 2024.
Sudaryono emphasized that nearly all staple ingredients for the nutritious food and free milk program will fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture. However, he noted that fish-related matters do not pertain to the Ministry of Agriculture’s responsibilities.
“What is the actual goal of providing nutritious food? It is to ensure adequate protein intake for our children. If we consider a box of rice and its accompaniments, that is primarily the domain of the Ministry of Agriculture, aside from fish,” explained Sudaryono.
He added that if the supply of cow’s milk and beef is insufficient, there should be no need for milk imports. Instead, he advocates for the private sector’s involvement in bringing live cattle into Indonesia.
“If possible, with clear direction, we should not import milk. We want to open up opportunities for the private sector or anyone to import live cattle into Indonesia. The reason for our short supply of milk and meat is the lack of breeding cattle. Therefore, we are looking to facilitate this, and we aim to gather commitments from companies, cooperatives, and individuals, hoping to bring in a total of 1.3 million live cattle,” he explained.
Sudaryono noted that sourcing live dairy cattle takes time. Therefore, he believes that rather than relying on milk imports, it would be wiser to diversify protein sources with both plant-based and animal-based alternatives.
“We should substitute imported milk with other protein sources, both plant-based and animal-based. We are already self-sufficient in eggs, fish, and chicken; perhaps these could serve as alternative sources. The emphasis should be on substitution rather than forced imports of powdered milk. Our focus should be on the free nutritious food initiative, aiming for food independence, not just rice but also eggs, poultry, meat, and milk,” he concluded.
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