POULTRY INDONESIA, Surabaya – The East Java (Jatim) Poultry Business Outlook 2026 was held in a lively atmosphere and received strong enthusiasm from industry players. According to drh. Suyud, Chairman of ASOHI East Java and Chief Organizer of the event, the forum was attended by more than 200 participants representing various stakeholders, including government officials, academics, and poultry practitioners. Organized through the collaboration of ASOHI, GPMT, GPPU, and PINSAR Indonesia, the event took place at Hotel Mövenpick Surabaya City on Wednesday (10/12).

Almost all speakers agreed that the outlook for the poultry industry in 2026 tends to be promising. Many opportunities lie ahead, although they will continue to be accompanied by significant challenges. The Head of the East Java Provincial Livestock Service, Dr. Ir. Indyah Aryani, MM, explained that based on 2025 data, the national balance of eggs and chicken meat—both for regular needs and the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG)—remains in a deficit. Total national egg demand was recorded at 6,998,008 tons, while production reached only 6,515,223 tons, resulting in a deficit of 482,785 tons. Meanwhile, chicken meat demand reached 5,005,474 tons, with production at 4,968,125 tons, or a deficit of around 37,349 tons.

“Specifically for East Java, the projected MBG demand in 2026 for chicken meat, assuming distribution twice a week, will reach 121,852 tons. Meanwhile, egg demand, assuming distribution three times a week, is estimated at 95,197 tons,” Indyah stated.

She also highlighted another opportunity arising from the Hajj pilgrimage. There is a plan to provide Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meals for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia in 2026, totaling 1.3 million portions. These RTE packages will consist of rice, side dishes, and bottled mineral water in sealed, food-grade packaging, with a side-dish portion of 150 grams, such as beef rendang, balado beef, chicken semur, chicken curry, and black pepper beef. All raw materials must originate from Indonesia. To meet this demand, an estimated 950 tons of beef and chicken meat will be required.

Chairman of GPMT, Dr. drh. Desianto Budi Utomo, M.Phil., PhD, stated that the feed industry in 2025 is expected to grow quite significantly, reaching 6.7 percent. This growth is driven by the rollout of the MBG program, particularly in absorbing egg production, extending broiler rearing periods, and increasing the layer population by around 7 percent.

“The feed industry is targeting 6 percent growth in feed production in 2026, taking into account DOC conditions that are relatively similar to 2025, corn prices as the main raw material, as well as economic recovery and public purchasing power,” Desianto explained.

He emphasized that corn prices and other feed raw materials greatly affect the Cost of Production (HPP) of feed. Therefore, he hopes the government can maintain the stability of corn production and other local raw materials so that the national feed and poultry industries can continue to grow sustainably.

For East Java, installed feed mill capacity accounts for around 28 percent of total national capacity, making it the region with the largest capacity compared to others. Feed production in East Java is estimated to reach 5.5 million tons in 2025, out of an estimated 19.6 million tons of national feed production.

“Regulatory support from the government is needed to ensure this potential continues to increase, especially regarding the risk of CLQ imports from the United States, which could cripple the national poultry industry that has already achieved self-sufficiency and absorbs around 10 percent of the national workforce,” he stressed.

Chairman of GPPU, Ir. Achmad Dawami, explained that Indonesia’s economic growth target is around 5.4 percent, with a population of approximately 287.2 million people. Under these conditions, projected per capita chicken meat consumption is estimated at 14–15 kg per year. Dawami believes that DOC demand will continue to grow, with livebird prices strongly influencing DOC absorption. Increased nutritional awareness and population growth are also driving demand for animal protein.

“2026 presents an opportunity to develop and market premium-quality DOC with added value, while also adopting digital technologies to optimize Parent Stock (PS) and Grand Parent Stock (GPS) management,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Pinsar East Java, Hidayaturrahman, SE, stated that the MBG program has the potential to significantly and more steadily increase demand for chicken and eggs. MBG absorption is considered capable of creating a market guarantee, namely the presence of a large and regular buyer that can reduce price volatility.

“This program opens opportunities for smallholder farmers to become suppliers through cooperatives or aggregators, while also encouraging improvements in quality standards and biosecurity at the smallholder level,” he explained.

However, he emphasized that challenges remain. Smallholder farmers must meet MBG standards, ranging from quality and hygiene to traceability. Competition with large-scale farms continues, while feed prices remain a major risk. Nevertheless, MBG has the potential to act as a market stabilizer for poultry in 2026 and a major opportunity for smallholders who are able to meet the required standards.

Chairman of ASOHI, drh. Akhmad Harris Priyadi, conveyed that the animal health market in 2026 is expected to grow by around 10 percent compared to 2025. He predicted adjustments in prices and vaccination costs for poultry medicines administered via injection and drinking water. The use of antibiotics during the rearing period is expected to decline, while vaccination at hatcheries will become more widespread. Conversely, the use of medicines through feed is projected to increase in line with the approximately 6 percent increase in feed production.

From the perspective of poultry health, Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UGM, Prof. Dr. drh. Michael Haryadi Wibowo, MP, explained that throughout 2025, poultry diseases were dominated by multi-infections and immunosuppression cases. Challenges in 2026 are expected to make multi-infections the new normal, accompanied by changes in disease tropism and increasingly complex management challenges.

He emphasized the need for comprehensive and optimal prevention strategies, including the implementation of biosecurity, proper health management and husbandry practices, modern poultry vaccination strategies, nutrition management and gut health, early disease detection, and prudent antibiotic use. According to him, collaboration among all stakeholders is the key to achieving sustainable poultry health.