Indonesia: Path away from foreign competition leads to hardship for food vendors

Indonesia’s drive to self-sufficiency, initiated by the global food crisis, is resulting in major antitrust issues in the meat, corn, rice, sugar, soybean and other food product markets as prices rise and markets are manipulated. As the nation strives for their goal by 2014, importers of various food products are reportedly manipulating prices and causing major shockwaves for individuals who make their living selling food. Import quotas were cut sharply last year for live cattle and boxed beef, leading to a steep decline in supplies around the country. Scandals concerning abuse of cattle in slaughterhouses lead to Australia banning imports to Indonesia in 2011; last year, the country banned beef imports from the US following a case of mad cow disease. Vice Agriculture Minister Rusman Heriawan has acknowledged that the government may have overestimated domestic cattle supplies, but has vowed to continue with the country’s plans for self-sufficiency.

Full Content: Fox News

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