Scrambling for Indian Buffalo Meat

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - There is no end to the disarray over meat imports. After the corruption scandal over the allocation of beef import quotas a few years ago, now it is buffalo meat that is causing problems. Imports of this meat are supposed to be a substitute for the expensive beef.

Instead of establishing a trade system to ensure that beef remains affordable, the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) appointed a company to distribute the imported buffalo meat from India. As a result, buffalo meat is now as expensive as beef.

Our investigations uncovered the facts surrounding the price manipulation involving Bulog and the company named Suri Nusantara Jaya. Bulog appointed Suri Nusantara Jaya as the main distributor of the buffalo meat, with a purchase price of Rp70,000. Suri subsequently resells the meat at above the maximum retail price to market traders and the meat processing industry. This leads to higher prices for consumers. Bulog provides no opportunities for traders or other companies to directly purchase buffalo meat from the agency.

This practice continued for years until the issuing of Government Regulation No. 22/2022 that allowed private companies to import meat. The agriculture ministry used the regulation to issue import recommendations for a number of companies. But before it came into force, a meeting at the coordinating ministry for the economy once again appointed Bulog as the importer.

Why are meat imports always problematic and why do state institutions squabble over them? Enjoy the magazine.