Triwik Kurniasari , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Sat, 03/07/2009 11:50 AM
Of feathers and flu: Shoppers browse for birds being sold along Jl. Barito in South Jakarta. Around 200 bird, fruit and fish traders have refused to move from the area, following the city administration’s plan to relocate them in a bid to halt the spread of bird flu. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
The city administration plans to relocate the two bird markets of Pramuka in Central Jakarta and Barito in South Jakarta to other locations away from residential areas, to help curb the spread of bird flu.
Edy Setiarto, head of the city’s husbandry, fishery and maritime agency, said possible new locations could include Ragunan in South Jakarta and Cibubur in East Jakarta.
“We have spread information [about the relocation] to the vendors. I hope all vendors can understand this plan for the sake of public health,” he said.
Pramuka Market, the biggest bird market in the city and perhaps even the country, is located in a densely populated area. The market is also known for its thriving underground trade in monkeys, owls, parrots and other exotic animals.
Although the police and administration offices are within walking distance of the market, the trade in rare and endangered animals there persists.
Barito is also a popular destination for bird lovers, with tropical birds, fish and rabbits on offer.
Deputy Governor Prijanto said he hoped that by April 2010, no live fowl would be sold at traditional markets in the capital any longer.
“The 2010 target is part of Jakarta’s long-term plan to halt the spread of bird flu,” he said.
The administration will also relocate poultry slaughterhouses, especially those located in residential areas.
The agency has named five new locations for poultry slaughterhouses, including Rawa Kepiting and Cakung in East Jakarta; Rorotan in North Jakarta; Petukangan in South Jakarta, and Kalideres in West Jakarta.
But only Rawa Kepiting is currently ready to accommodate the relocated poultry vendors, Edy said.
“The construction is 90 percent complete. We have provided slaughter areas that can hold more than 75,000 chicken, as well as cold storage facilities,” he added.
The 2-hectare Rawa Kepiting site will have the largest capacity, able to hold up 100,000 fowl a day.
“We’re now trying to improve the roads heading to the site. We need about Rp 6 billion [US$503,477] to build a new location,” Edy said.
“All fowl should be provided with health documents stating they are free from bird flu.”
Major slaughterhouses in Pulogadung, East Jakarta, will not be relocated because “we regard them as having good sanitation systems”, he added.
The planned restructuring of chicken farms and processing plants in the capital is in line with key points in the much-lauded 2007 bylaw on poultry husbandry.
Chicken traders registering to move to the new sites must have their poultry checked by the agency at a cost of Rp 25 per chicken.
Those missing the April target face six-month jail sentences and fines of up to Rp 50 million.
Some vendors have expressed objections to the plan, pointing out the new locations are far from the city center where their customers live.
The city administration also plans to work closely with neighboring cities like Tangerang in Banten, and Bekasi and Sukabumi in West Java. The cities supply large quantities of live fowl to Jakarta.
“We have urged the cities not to send livestock to Jakarta, and instead only supply meat,” Edy said.
The agency says some 1,342,000 fowl are kept inside and around residential areas in the capital. It also recorded some 1,200 illegal poultry slaughterhouses, 250 chicken shelters and 229 duck farms.
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