East Kutai Agriculture and Livestock Department will carry out massive artificial insemination in 2023 to boost cattle production and improve the quality of cattle breeds.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — The East Kutai Agriculture and Livestock Department (Distanak) plans to carry out massive artificial insemination in 2023 to boost cattle production in anticipating the spread of foot and mouth disease. Artificial insemination is a technique for inserting spermatozoa into the female reproductive tract using a tool called an insemination gun intending to make a female pregnant without a natural mating process.
Dyah Ratnaningrum Head of the Agriculture and Livestock Department expressed her concern over the transmission of foot and mouth disease. Therefore, the regional government cannot remain silent to save livestock, particularly cattle in East Kutai.
“We are planning a massive artificial insemination in 2023. With the spread of foot and mouth disease, we cannot sit idly by. If we stay silent, our cattle will run out,” said Dyah during the second activity of the foot and mouth disease vaccine in Mata Air Village (11/25).
Apart from anticipating the disease, artificial insemination is carried out as farmers cannot bring cattle from outside the regency. Currently, livestock traffic is only open for slaughtered cattle. When bringing cattle from outside of the regency, the cattlemen must report that the cattle are intended for slaughter, not for rearing.
“Cattle in East Kutai are bred from Bali cattle breed. They were born from inbreeding, producing Bali cattle with a smaller size in East Kutai. That is one of the reasons for performing artificial insemination,” said Dyah. Meanwhile, purebred Bali cattle can weigh up to one ton with special rearing. Therefore, the government will improve the quality of Bali cattle breeds in East Kutai. By providing high-quality cattle breeds, the cattle size in East Kutai is expected to become bigger.
Dyah added, “These are gifts for cattlemen. They should take advantage of the opportunity for artificial insemination in 2023 by registering their cattle as potential acceptors for our program.”
While attending a vaccine activity in Mata Air Village, East Kutai Regent Ardiansyah Sulaiman approved the Agriculture and Livestock Department’s plan to carry out artificial insemination in 2023. “I agree that next year we have to carry out this program for the community. Hopefully, we can meet the demand for beef,” said Ardiansyah. He expected that the artificial insemination program can run smoothly.
