The Odd Offal Policy

The change in policy is erratic. At the end of last year, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman banned the import of offal, arguing that it was animal feedunfit for human consumption. Now, in an about-face, he is allowing imports of offal because it is a public necessity.

In another odd move, the agriculture ministry said that offal was being imported to help reduce the price of beef. This, too, has not happened. The price of beef is still around Rp120,000 per kilogram. The problem is that offallungs, liver and heartis clearly different from other cuts of beef, so importing it has no effect on the domestic price of beef.

August 9, 2016