Indonesians Losing Rp99tn per Year to Adulterated Rice, Minister Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said Indonesians suffer losses amounting to Rp99.35 trillion due to adulterated rice circulating in the markets. This was revealed by Amran during a working meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission IV, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

"This is just in a year. The numbers will far surpass the Rp100 trillion mark if this is traced back to five or ten years ago," he said at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

According to the minister, the brands producing adulterated rice have been operating for a long while. "Laboratory results show regular rice being sold as premium rice. They just repackage bulk rice, and we have the photographic evidence, which we handed over to law enforcement. Only the prices go up, not the quality," he said.

"It's like marketing 18 karat gold as 24 karat," he added. 

The case results in two types of losses: state loss and public loss. For state losses, rice from the Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) program, which should be sold at a cheaper price, is instead counterfeited into premium rice. "From the preliminary investigation, it is found that 80 percent of SPHP rice is adulterated as premium, while 20 percent is displayed in stores. This constitutes state losses," said Amran.

The ministry previously checked 268 rice brands in 10 provinces, the largest rice-producing provinces throughout Indonesia, due to price anomalies. The rice samples were then examined in 13 laboratories. 

For premium rice, the ministry checked 136 brands and found that 85.56 percent of the premium rice did not meet the standard. Meanwhile, 59.78 percent did not comply with the Highest Retail Price (HET), and 78.14 percent did not comply with the packaging weight.

Out of the 212 rice brands that violated the rules, according to Amran, 26 of them have been inspected. "On the 10th, 26 brands were inspected. According to the reports we received, they admitted to it," he said.

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