INFOKU, BLORA –Currently, Blora Regency is known as the cattle barn in Central Java.
However, recent achievements show that the potential of this area goes far beyond being just a livestock center.
With a beef cattle population of 172,920 by 2025, the highest in Central Java, Blora has a very strong potential to develop into a center for the beef processing industry in Indonesia.
Also read: Advancing the Cattle Farming Sector: A Serious Effort by the Blora Regency Government
This potential is not only reflected in the large livestock population, but is also reinforced by the research results of Agus Maulana, a lecturer at the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) Business School, who assessed that Blora has very good prospects for investment in the beef-based industry.
The abundant availability of raw materials, the community's experience in livestock farming, and support from the agricultural sector are foundations that are difficult for other regions to match.
Unfortunately, until now these advantages have not been fully capitalized.
Most of the cattle from Blora are still marketed as live cattle to various cities.
The added value from cutting, packaging, processing, distribution and marketing of processed products is actually enjoyed by other regions that already have downstream industries.
In fact, the downstreaming of cattle farming or the beef-based industry has a very long economic chain. The presence of modern slaughterhouses, cold storage facilities, frozen meat processing plants, meatball, sausage, shredded beef, corned beef, and even ready-to-eat food factories will create a significant multiplier effect.
Not only does it increase the selling price of cattle, but it also creates thousands of jobs, strengthens MSMEs, stimulates the logistics and trade sectors, and increases regional income.
This is the momentum that the Blora Regency Government should seize.
Also read: Blora Aims to Become Indonesia's Cattle Center
The superiority of the cattle population must be made the main selling point in offering investment opportunities to national and international business actors.
Investors are not only looking for the availability of raw materials, but also regulatory certainty, ease of licensing, infrastructure, and commitment from local governments.
Therefore, the Blora Regency Government needs to prepare a roadmap for developing the livestock industry in an integrated manner.
Collaboration Together
Investment promotion is not sufficient through business forums alone, but must also be accompanied by the provision of agro-industrial areas, investment incentives, accelerated licensing, partnerships with smallholder farmers, and guarantees of a sustainable livestock supply.
On the other hand, the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD), academics, livestock associations, banks, universities, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), and the business world need to work together to build a healthy investment ecosystem.
Collaboration is key to ensuring Blora maintains its momentum as national meat demand continues to rise and the government pushes for increased domestic production.
Blora also has a strategic geographical advantage because it is located on the border of Central Java and East Java, so it has the potential to become a distribution center for meat products for various regions on the island of Java.
Also read: IPB is interested in developing a cattle farming agribusiness in Blora.
Coupled with the availability of corn as a raw material for animal feed and a deep-rooted livestock farming culture, this area has a relatively complete ecosystem compared to many other districts.
Now the challenge is no longer how to increase the cattle population.
The real challenge is how to turn cattle into industry, industry into jobs, and jobs into social welfare.
Blora should not forever be just a live cattle producing area.
It's time for local governments and all stakeholders to move more aggressively to pursue investment in the beef-based industry. (Endah/ IST )
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