Indonesia prepares 1.5 million livestock for Eid al Adha sacrifice
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s government has prepared 1.5 million animals for the Eid al Adha festival of sacrifice this year, up 5 percent from last year, director general of livestock and animal health at the agriculture ministry Ketut Diarmita told Salaam Gateway.
An additional 170,514 are reserved for contingencies such as a surge in demand for fresh beef in the markets during the Eid season.
“We have already prepared animals for sacrificial worship in 2018 as many as 1.5 million tails, consisting of 462,339 cows, 10,344 buffaloes, 793,052 goats as well as 238,853 sheep. Based on these data, the estimated needs of livestock for Eid al Adha 2018 can be guaranteed fully met from the provision of local livestock," said Diarmita.
440,323 cows, 9,851 buffaloes, 755,288 goats and 227,479 sheep were slaughtered for Eid al Adha last year, totaling 1.4 million animals, according to Diarmita.
HEALTH ISSUE
The general directorate of livestock and animal health has initiated steps to ensure the health and safety of both livestock and humans.
Similar to last year, two abattoirs in Jakarta, where demand is high, have been designated for the ritual slaughters.
This is a move away from the traditional practice of using public and pedestrian walkways, and is needed to safeguard the public against the risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases that can be transferred from animals to humans or vice versa.
The move to dedicated abattoirs is funded by the state.
The average price for a 450 kilogram cow for slaughter is 27 million Indonesian rupiah ($1,870). Diarmita said prices may be cheaper this year due to lower costs incurred from more efficient livestock management by traditional village farmers who each manage around 50 to 100 animals on average.
ONLINE
Animal sacrifice for this year’s Eid al Adha is going online.
Trans Retail Indonesia, the company that operates Carrefour, has held ‘qurban festivals’ since 2013 but for the first time, the retail major is taking orders online as well as in its 112 stores, Satria Hamid, the company’s vice president for corporate communications told Salaam Gateway.
Carrefour has partnered with grocery platform HappyFresh to allow customers to order sheep, cows and camels either online or through its app.
Carrefour is working with three humanitarian non-governmental institutions (NGOs), Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT), Dompet Dhuafa and PKPU Human Initiative to carry out the slaughter and distribute the meat to beneficiaries.
Carrefour aims to double sales this year with the help of online reach.
Hamid said Carrefour is targeting to sell 7,000 animals this year, equivalent to around 7.5 billion rupiah, up from 3,500, or around 3.5 billion rupiah worth of live animals, in 2017.
Prices for goats start at around 1.9 million rupiah, cows for around 13.5 million rupiah and camels 24.75 million rupiah.
The three NGOs will play an active role in promoting this year’s sale to meet the target.
Cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, and camels are slaughtered to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God’s command. Animals must be in good health, and free from disabilities or handicaps. Meat of sacrificial animals can be kept for personal consumption, and distributed to relatives and the needy.
Eid al Adha will fall on Aug 22 in Indonesia.
($1 = 14,435 Indonesian rupiah)
(Reporting by Yosi Winosa; Editing by Emmy Abdul Alim emmy.alim@thomsonreuters.com)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles
© SalaamGateway.com 2018 All Rights Reserved
