A roughly 1 billion yen technical assistance project in Indonesia launched in the late 1980s, in which dairy cows were bred using artificial insemination, faltered after six seed bulls sent from Japan died, it was learned Wednesday through a report by the Board of Audit.

While the government-affiliated Japan International Cooperation Agency said some goals of the project were met, the Board of Audit said it cannot be called a success because the project failed to permanently transfer technology.

Japan spent 990 million yen in official development assistance on the program, which began in 1986 at an artificial insemination center in East Java, where dairy farming is a major industry.

Under the project, initially planned for five years, Japan sent around 20 experts on artificial insemination and sanitary management. The project was later extended by four years.

By 1995, when the project ended, it managed to double the amount of artificially produced semen delivered to dairy farmers in Indonesia from about 250,000 bottles to 540,000 annually.

Japan sent six seed bulls for the project, but two died during the project period, while the remaining four died after the project because of old age, the sources said.

A dairy farming expert said bulls can produce quality semen only for around two years after they reach 5 years old, and "forcing them to produce semen thereafter is unreasonable both genetically and physically."

The expert said Japan should have started breeding seed bulls in Indonesia or should have brought in younger seed bulls.