Jakarta. State procurement agency Bulog will import 10,000 tons of beef from New Zealand in the coming weeks in an effort to bring the beef prices down to below Rp 100,000 ($7.20) a kilogram, an official said on Sunday.

“Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman has instructed us to import frozen beef so we are processing the permits now,” said Bulog's procurement director Wahyu, who goes by one name.

“In principal, the government wants beef to be available and its prices affordable,” Wahyu said. He said Bulog had chosen New Zealand over Australia for the frozen beef import as beef prices in New Zealand are not rising as fast as in Australia.

The government has asked Bulog to import 50,000 head of cattle in order to stabilize domestic beef prices, which had been rising by 10 percent since the beginning of the year. Wahyu said the first batch of the imported beef, comprising up to 9,000 head of cattle, would arrive in Indonesia in early September.

The government is also planning to import an additional 300,000 head of cattle by the end of this year, to bring down prices further. A kilogram of beef sold for Rp 109,000 on Friday, Trade Ministry data showed.

“We hope the price of beef will be below Rp 100,000 a kilogram,” Wahyu said, adding that the government is planning to impose a ceiling price for the commodity.

Joni Liano, the executive director of the Indonesia Beef Producers and Feedlot Association (Apfindo), said the sector was ready to support government policies to bring down beef prices.

Joni also hope the government will simplify the beef supply chain, which has contributed to high prices.