INDONESIA has requested Australia help it with genetics and technology instead of supplying live cattle this week.

Foreign minister Kevin Rudd met with Indonesia's minister of agriculture Suswono in Jakarta this week to discuss Australia's role in Indonesia's transition to self-sufficiency in beef production by 2014.

Dr Suswono proposed the Australian Government invest in breeding stock in the country and provide education and technology to Indonesian farmers instead of sending live animals.

Late last year, Indonesia announced it would slash import quotas for live cattle from 520,000 to 283,000 this year; a larger than expected cut for most in the Australian industry.

Early reports out of Jakarta suggest permits for the import of just 50,000 to 60,000 cattle have been issued for the first quarter of this year.