Pontianak, 30 April 2024 - Indonesian pig farming industry has been negatively impacted by African Swine Fever (ASF), which is prevalent in regions with significant population of domestic pigs, such as the province of West Kalimantan. In response to this, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea (ROK), launched the Community African Swine Fever (ASF) Biosecurity Intervention (CABI) programme. Following the successful implementation of the CABI pilot programme in North Sulawesi, the initiative has been expanded to Pontianak City and Landak Regency in West Kalimantan.

 

“Applying biosecurity measures in livestock businesses can suppress the spread of ASF, prevent a decline in production, and minimise economic losses for farmers,” said Nasrullah, Director General of Livestock and Animal Health Services, Ministry of Agriculture. Nasrullah also emphasised that ASF is a highly contagious animal disease, thus it will threaten the domestic pig population in Indonesia.

 

“CABI programme is the right approach to overcome and mitigate the risk of ASF to keep pigs healthy and minimise financial losses thereby improving the overall animal health situation in the region,” said Ani Sofian, Acting Mayor of Pontianak. He further explained that a number of rigorous ASF prevention steps have been currently undertaken at the national and subnational levels, including border control.

 

West Kalimantan ranks sixth nationally for the highest level of domestic pig population, with 80% of them being in smallholders farms following the traditional farming patterns. However, the implementation of biosecurity in the region is still lacking. The Acting Mayor of Pontianak further explained that the high risk of ASF in West Kalimantan poses an impact on the decreased pig population, significantly increased price of pig, and high economic losses for small-scale pig farmers.

 

Rajendra Aryal, FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor Leste emphasised the importance of the support and participation of all parties for the prevention of ASF threats. CABI is expected to be replicated in other regions to protect the pig industry in the country and sustainably improve Indonesian animal health systems. “FAO is committed to working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and subnational and local governments to provide the necessary technical support for effective African Swine Fever prevention in Indonesia,” said Aryal.

 

On the same occasion, Heronimus Hero, Head of the West Kalimantan Province Plantation and Livestock Service, observed that the assistance is very useful to prevent ASF and other diseases while also maintaining the quality of pig products. “We hope that more farmers would implement biosecurity measures in their farms and the implementation of the CABI programme can be carried out optimally to revive interests among the communities in raising pigs again,” Hero concluded.