POULTRYINDONESIA, Jakarta – In celebration of its anniversary, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FKH UGM) held a National Seminar highlighting the overarching theme of food stabilization and the future of Indonesia’s poultry industry. The seminar, held on Wednesday (April 22, 2026), was attended by various stakeholders, including alumni, academics, and poultry industry practitioners.

On this occasion, the Director of Veterinary Public Health at the Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health Services, Ministry of Agriculture, I Ketut Wirata, emphasized that the veterinary system must be strengthened, not merely maintained.

“Strengthening the veterinary system is key to supporting food security and the free nutritious meal program toward Indonesia Emas 2045. The poultry sector is currently the most prepared to meet the public’s protein needs. Production is already in surplus. However, surplus alone is not enough if product quality and safety are not guaranteed,” he stated.

To this end, the government continues to promote an integrated downstream poultry ecosystem, covering GPS farms, PS farms, feed mills, poultry slaughterhouses (RPHU), cold storage, and processing units—especially in regions that still face deficits in chicken meat and eggs. This entire supply chain involves both smallholder farmers and private sectors, with food safety guaranteed under the ASUH principle (Safe, Healthy, Whole, and Halal).

Ketut stressed that seminars like this should be held more frequently, as collaboration is where the resilience of the poultry sector can grow. Indonesia is expected to maintain domestic food stability while reducing dependence on imports amid increasingly uncertain global conditions.

Meanwhile, Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM, Michael Haryadi Wibowo, warned that poultry production stability still faces serious threats that must not be underestimated.

“Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza remain major threats. The viruses continue to mutate and produce new variants that must always be monitored,” he said.

He also pointed out several factors worsening the situation, including antimicrobial resistance, co-infections, and weak biosecurity implementation at the farm level. According to him, biosecurity must be tightened to minimize disease incidence in the field.

Challenges also arise from the industrial side. Chairman of the Indonesian Feed Producers Association (GPMT), Desianto Budi Utama, highlighted the pressure faced by poultry producers in terms of production costs.

“Approximately 70 to 75 percent of poultry production costs come from feed. Therefore, efficiency in feed formulation is not an option—it is a necessity to keep the industry competitive,” he emphasized.

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