GOVERNMENT POLICIES

The government introduced a programme called INTAB (intensification of kampung chicken)
in the 1980s, targeting groups of farmers who co-operatively participated in the provincial
projects. As mentioned earlier, each project consisted of a group of 20 to 50 farmers
receiving a package of technology for kampung chicken farming. The package provided 100
mature female birds, medicines, cages and temporary feed consisting of commercial feed and
local ingredients (mostly rice bran). Training of the farmers was one part of the project and it
was usually undertaken before the farm was set up. The government offered technology to
each farmer. The local government also provided technical supervision during the term of the
project, which in most cases was one year. The project’s progress was also monitored. Project
supervisors assisted in the establishment of a farming system and in its business management,
including the securing of loans, banking and marketing activities.
Following the fast development of the improved poultry industry, the intensification of
kampung chicken should be encouraged. The availability of feed ingredients, medicines and
commercial rations for the improved poultry industry has led to intensification in kampung
chicken rearing and this should assist the industry to continue to exist and to expand.
Following the INTAB programme, another programme called INVAK was introduced to
vaccinate kampung chickens against ND. This programme has led the farmers to understand
that ND can be prevented by using an injection or an eye- or nose-drop vaccine. However, the
programme is not able to cover all kampung chickens reared under the traditional system,
even though the vaccine has been widely available throughout Indonesia from poultry shops.
(The number of poultry shops has been increasing.) In practice, it is difficult to vaccinate
scavenging chickens against ND. Scientists at the Research Institute for Veterinary Science
(RIVS) of the Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (AARD) have been
developing a new ND vaccine for kampung chickens. The vaccine was developed from a
local isolate and is given orally through chicken feed and/or laterally as a contact
transmission (Darminto, 1997). The results so far have indicated that vaccination in the
scavenging kampung chickens does not give sufficient protection against ND, as compared to
confined flocks of birds.
The attempt to increase the production of kampung chicken has to some extent been
successful, particularly in areas where feed, medicines and other facilities are easily obtained.
In remote areas with insufficient facilities, the programme has been less successful. Keeping
the chickens in cages provided with feed, water and medicine reportedly decreases mortality
and increases productivity. Furthermore, the government has recently launched a programme
called “Pengembangan Peternakan Rakyat Terpadu Berorientasi Agribisnis” or Integrated
Kampung Chicken Industry (Diwyanto et al., 1996). The programme has an agribusiness
orientation and is a continuation of the INTAB programme. Co-operators in this programme
include those who are experienced with kampung chicken farming. Each region is selected
according to the availability of support facilities, including physical facilities and
infrastructure. The number of chickens raised by each farmer depends on whether production
is for meat or eggs and whether a semi-intensive or fully intensive farming system is being
used. This programme is expected to increase the population of kampung chickens and
eventually to increase farmers’ incomes.

STATISTICS OF KAMPUNG CHICKENS

According to the Statistical Book on Livestock released by the Directorate General of
Livestock Services (1997), the total number of kampung chickens from the 27 provinces in
Indonesia has been increasing (DGLS, 1997). In 1990, the total number of kampung chickens
of all ages was 201 million birds; by 1996, their numbers had increased to almost 260 million
birds, or by approximately 29 percent. Kampung chickens are concentrated in Java island
where about 43 percent of the population is found. The numbers of kampung chickens seem
to be positively correlated with human population. However, they are rarely found in the city
areas because of space limitations.
Table 1.1. Numbers of kampung chickens in Indonesia
Number of kampung chickens
Change
per year
Region 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 %
(million) (million) (million) (million) (million) (million) (million)
Sumatra 55.30 58.57 63.20 67.99 72.59 78.99 83.41 8.47
Java 92.77 93.89 98.59 103.57 100.74 107.87 110.78 3.23
Kalimantan 11.20 11.80 18.82 13.12 14.53 14.79 16.64 8.09
Sulawesi 25.57 26.61 29.47 17.23 19.53 25.68 25.33 – 0.15
Bali & Nusa
Tenggara
13.80 15.62 15.94 17.30 18.42 19.21 19.98 7.47
Maluku, Irian
Jaya, East
Timor
2.72 3.10 3.45 3.68 4.10 3.54 3.74 6.17
Indonesia 201.36 209.59 229.47 222.89 229.91 250.08 259.88 4.84
Source: DGLS (1997)
The cities are now becoming an important market for kampung chickens. A survey reported
by Hermanto et al. (1995) has investigated consumption in villages and cities. The villages
and cities were divided on the basis of income into low, medium and high income groups. It
was found that more kampung chicken was consumed by the highest income group, reaching
2.36 kg per person per year, while about 1.54 and 0.84 kg meat per person per year was
consumed by the medium and low income groups, respectively. Further, it was found that the
3
consumption of meat from improved chickens was 2.55 kg per person per year for the highincome
group, compared to villagers who ate only 0.74 kg per person per year.
The development of kampung chicken as a livestock industry is influenced by the fact that the
improved poultry industry requires commercial rations, consisting mostly of imported
ingredients. Technology packages have been introduced by the government to increase the
population of kampung chickens particularly in the villages that are in close proximity to the
cities. This is being done because the cities are seen as a market for kampung chickens.
Most kampung chickens have a long marketing chain. Some village collectors carry bamboo
cages holding about 20 to 30 mature kampung chickens. The collectors travel around the
village, paying in cash for one or more live chickens from the village households. The village
collectors usually collect in the afternoon and sell early in the morning of the next day to
larger collectors who arrive from the cities. The transaction is in cash, for between 500 and
1000 birds each time. There are usually two or more big collectors in each collecting area and
they are provided with birds by ten or more local collectors. Although transactions can take
place every day, twice a week is perhaps more usual. Information about this trading system is
limited. It might not be found in every village in Java because its success depends on the
concentration of kampung chickens. The system is mostly found on the north coast of West
and Central Java while farmers in other areas sell their chickens in a local public market or
livestock market.
To support the development of the kampung chicken industry, the local government has
introduced an intensive farming system programme for kampung chickens. Since the 1980s,
some 3000 to 6000 kampung chickens have been given to 20 to 50 households, in a number
of projects. The size of the flock on each farm increased from seven birds in 1990 to nine
birds per household in 1996. The distribution of chickens depends on the local government’s
plan in setting up the programme each year. For example, the local government of West Java
introduced two projects in 1995 involving 7 000 mature kampung chickens for an intensive
farming system programme involving two groups of farmers in two districts. During the same
year, in South Sulawesi, 6 000 mature chickens were distributed to 60 households. If this
programme were to run in all 27 provinces, then after a decade about 270 groups of 20 to 50
farmers could be expected to have participated in the programme with 1.62 million birds
being allocated to these farmers. In such a case, only 0.6 percent of the total population of
birds would be kept by small number of farmers, while the greatest number of marketed
chickens would come from the traditional smallholders with less than 10 birds per household.
The contribution of kampung chickens to national egg production was 96 560 t in 1994 or
about 17 percent of total egg production. Although there are no consistent data on the
consumption of kampung chicken eggs, consumption appeared to be higher in the cities
(3.90 kg per person per year) than in the villages (2.93 kg per person per year). Any increase
in the intensive farming of kampung chicken is likely to increase its contribution to the
development of a national poultry industry