TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto has voiced concern over deceptive practices by several entrepreneurs involved in rice adulteration, calling them serious violations that contribute to rising rice prices.
"There are still many malicious maneuvers by several entrepreneurs who deceive the people," said Prabowo in his closing remarks at the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Congress at the Edutorium KH Ahmad Dahlan, Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta (UMS), Solo, Central Java, on Sunday, July 20, 2025.
He stressed that criminal acts in the rice sector have severely impacted the national economy and urged the Attorney General and the police to take firm action. Prabowo estimated that these practices result in Rp100 trillion in annual losses for the country, describing them as a form of economic sabotage.
Brigadier General Helfi Assegaf, Director of Special Economic Crimes at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, said four rice producers and distributors have been questioned for allegedly violating quality and quantity standards.
These companies include Wilmar Group, PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya, PT Belitang Panen Raya, and PT Sentosa Utama Lestari (Japfa Group). The investigation began on Thursday, July 10, and continued on Monday, July 14.
National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that 25 producers and distributors suspected of mixing premium rice would be questioned further, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The scale of the losses was first revealed by Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman during a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission IV on Wednesday, July 16. He said adulterated rice caused up to Rp99.35 trillion in public losses.
Amran explained that 1-2 months ago, rice prices at the farmer and milling levels dropped while consumer prices rose, a discrepancy that prompted further investigation.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) previously predicted a 14 percent rise in rice production, with a surplus of more than 3 million tons. Despite this, consumer prices still increased. As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture inspected rice production in the 10 largest producing provinces.
Out of 268 rice brands tested in 13 laboratories, 136 were premium rice brands. The findings revealed that 85.56 percent did not meet quality standards, 59.78 percent exceeded the Maximum Retail Price (HET), and 78.14 percent failed to meet proper packaging weights.
Hammam Izuddin and Annisa Febiola contributed to the writing of this article.
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