Jakarta – The Indonesian government continues to demonstrate its commitment to protecting farmers and consumers from fraudulent practices in the food distribution sector. Through swift and coordinated action, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Food Task Force (Satgas Pangan) of the National Police, is actively investigating suspected cases of rice adulteration by unscrupulous producers that harm farmers and low-income communities.
Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, emphasized that the state will not tolerate fraudulent practices in the food sector. He revealed that 212 brands of packaged rice have been found not meeting quality standards, and legal proceedings have begun with formal communications to the Chief of Police and direct coordination with the Attorney General.
“We have already examined many parties. There are 212 brands involved, and we have sent a letter to the Chief of Police. We also discussed this directly with the Attorney General. The Food Task Force is now working alongside us,” Amran stated.
He further highlighted that rice adulteration harms not only farmers and market stability but also causes substantial economic losses, estimated at nearly IDR 100 trillion annually. Amran reiterated the government’s firm stance in addressing this issue.
“We thank the businesses that are starting to comply, but please, don’t be unjust to farmers. We have 287 million consumers. The wealthy may not feel the impact, but the poor, those living on the poverty line, suffer. We must care,” he stressed.
Concrete steps are also being taken by law enforcement. Head of the Food Task Force, Brigadier General Helfi Assegaf, confirmed that legal proceedings are underway. The task force has examined 22 witnesses related to suspected manipulation of quality and quantity in several rice brands and is currently investigating an additional 25 brand owners.
“A total of 22 witnesses have been questioned so far. Starting today, investigators from the Food Task Force are examining 25 owners of 5-kg packaged rice brands,” Helfi stated.
The impact of these enforcement actions is starting to be felt. In several regions, rice prices have begun to fall in line with the government’s maximum retail price (HET), and product quality is gradually improving. The government hopes these actions will serve as a deterrent and help restore public trust in food distribution systems.
