Parit Malintang, W. Sumatra, July 11 (Antara) - The district administration of Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra , said it hopes to insure 800 cows this year.
"Currently, there are 360 cows already insured by livestock farmers . We hopes to increase the number to 800 cows by the end of this year," head of the district Animal Health Service Bustanil Arifin said here on Wednesday.
He said the farmers have not yet been aware of the need to protect them against losses by insuring their livestock.
The farmers need only to pay Rp200,000 per year for a Rp10 million insurance of a cow, he said.
The government even provides a subsidy of Rp150,000 a year for the female cow insurance, he said.
The farmers, therefore, need only to pay Rp40,000 for the insurance of female cows, he added.
"The farmers would not lose much in the event of their insured cows die," he said.
He said the farmers could come to the sub-district animal husbandry office to have their cows insured.
He said Padang Pariaman has 38,000 cows, 13,000 buffaloes , 8,000 goats and hundreds of thousands of chickens.
A livestock farmers Zaini (55) in Sungai Geringging, said he was interested in insuring his cows.
He said he wanted to know details about the cost and compensation , adding the government should socialize the prograkm more intensively.
"I often have my cows inseminated but the officers in charge of the insemination said nothing about insurance for cows," he said.
Earlier in the South Sulawesi, the Financial Service Authority (OJK) said 7,747 cows in the province were already insured to state-owned general insurance company PT Asuransi Jasa Indonesia (Jasindo) until April, 2018.
Head of the Region Financial Economic Development and Partnership Department of the OJK covering Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua, Muhammad Yusuf said Jasindo has yet to work hard to reach its target this year.
"By April, 2018, insurance already covered 7,747 cows from various areas in South Sulawesi, but harder work is still needed to reach the target," Yusuf said.
He said South Sulawesi has quite large number of cows, found in a number of district areas such as Sinjai, Bulukumba, Gowa and Bone.
The districts contributed more than 50 percent to the number of cows insured, he said.
Deputy chairman of the Makassar branch of Jasindo Wahyu said the insurance company has set a target that it would provide insurance protection for around 22,500 cows in South Sulawesi in 2018.
"We will continue to convince the farmers of the importance of insurance for their livestock," he said.
He said in 2017, around 13,000 cows from various areas in South Sulawesi were insured to Jasindo. (*)
Padang Pariaman hopes to insure 600 cows
Kepala Dinas Peternakan dan Kesehatan Hewan Padang Pariaman, Bustanil Arifin. (Antara Sumbar/Aadiat MS)
The farmers would not lose much in the event of their insured cows die
