East Indonesia as the Center of Pig Production

EAST INDONESIA AS THE CENTER OF PIG PRODUCTION * Komang Budaarsa** ABSTRACT One of the programs of Nawa Cita of the President Joko Widodo's governance is "Building Indonesia from the borderland and empower the regions and villages in the frame of unitary state". In the program, there is a clear significance that building Indonesia is no longer centered in Java Island, but it will be accelerated outside Java Island, particularly in the East Indonesia. The government has also committed to build the Tourism in the East Indonesia so that it can be the new source of economic growth in Indonesia. One of the commodities that supports tourism is the livestock sector. East Indonesia has many potential to become pork livestock such as, firstly, the potential of human resource; most of the people work as farmer and this fact becomes a strategic process to develop pork livestock. Secondly, the potential of natural resource in the East Indonesia, viewed from the available land, highly supports the pork livestock business. There are many lands which have not been optimally utilized for farming business, in a broader sense. Thirdly, the potential of social resource is the non-Muslim community that does not proscribe eating pork. Fourthly, the potential of technological resource, mainly the efficient technology in the field of pork livestock will be faster and easier to be adapted by the people. Associated with the national pork production, the provinces of the East Indonesia are the biggest population contributors. More than 50% of national pork production is in the East Indonesia. Based on the data from the General Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health in 2016, East Nusa Tenggara had the highest pig population of 1,871,717 pigs. Viewed from the growth in the last two years (2016 compared to 2015), South East Sulawesi was the highest or 12.86%, the next was Central Sulawesi (9.86%), and the North Sulawesi (4.70%), and East Nusa Tenggara was 3.27%. The development of pork livestock business in the East Indonesia is confronted to several problems such as production factor, facilities, economy & marketing, farmer's behavior and institutions; however, with strong commitment from the central and regional government, such problems will be optimistically solved. Based on the potential of natural and human resources associated with the program of Nawa Cita of the current government, the East Indonesia is very likely to become the center of pork livestock. The production is not merely for private parties who want to invest in pork livestock business in the East Indonesia, but also particularly in the development of fodder factory, that the transportation cost can be reduced. The government needs to set a clear livestock zoning that the investors of pork livestock obtain legal protection, that they can feel comfortable and safe in doing their business. Keywords: The East Indonesia, natural resource, human resource and pork livestock