Can Buffalo Meat Replace Cow Meat?

Indonesia government decided to import more buffalo meat from India. Some of the meat has entered and sold in many markets recently.

The reaction varies.  Some greets the decision as a wise step as it's expected the arrival of the imported buffalo meat can bring down meat price that seems so reluctant to go back to their original level. Some others provide cool responses as they don't think the coming buffalo meat can give the required effect to meat market in Indonesia.

Buffalo in Indonesia is used more as the source for energy. The animal is used more becuase of its strength than its meat. Buffalo is commonly used to plow land for rice field. Only in several provinces the animal is eaten.

There is a custom in Indonesian society that if an animal is already used for their power, then they should not be eaten. That's why horses, dogs, or cows that already used to plow lands are seldom eaten. They are considered as fuman's friend than the source of meat.

That's why it seems a bit difficult for Indonesia governments to convince many people to consume meat coming from a bufflo. Their mindset is one of the obstable.

Besides, this mindset has also created an image that buffallo meats consist of lots of hard muscle that are not easy to be cooked and chewed.

That's why, even though the government has planned to import more than 70,000 tonnes of buffalo meat from India, there is no assurance that it can replace cow meat in the markets.

There is something inside Indonesians that may block the idea to consume this animal.