Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister vows to Crack Down on Food Import Mafia
Jakarta – Indonesian Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has made a bold promise: to step down if he fails to eliminate the food import mafia operating within his ministry.
A Zero-Tolerance Approach
In a recent meeting with Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR RI) Commission IV, Minister Sulaiman declared, “The import mafia, insya Allah, if we find them, we will deal with them. If I can’t resolve this, I will step down.” His words reflect a serious commitment to tackling this issue head-on.
Evidence of this commitment is already evident. Since October 2023, the minister has dismissed at least four employees, including two directors, following investigations into corrupt practices.
Three Echelon II and III subordinates were dismissed after accepting approximately Rp10 billion in project procurement fees from various companies. Another Echelon II official, equivalent to a director, was removed for receiving a project fee of Rp700 million.
Presidential Directives and Future Plans
These decisive actions follow direct orders from President Prabowo Subianto, who has issued three clear directives to the Ministry of Agriculture: preventing criminal corruption, ensuring budget efficiency, and achieving food self-sufficiency within 3-4 years.
Minister Sulaiman has also unveiled several programs scheduled for implementation in 2025, aiming to achieve these ambitious goals. The Ministry of Agriculture has been allocated a substantial budget of Rp29.37 trillion for 2025, including an addition of Rp21.47 trillion.
Investing in Agricultural Growth
A significant portion of the budget, Rp15 trillion, will be allocated to “Quick Win” programs focusing on creating 150,000 hectares of new rice fields, intensifying agriculture on 80,000 hectares, and optimizing 350,000 hectares of land.
Non-Quick Win programs include boosting the production of staple crops like rice and corn (Rp4.33 trillion allocation) and increasing beef/buffalo and milk production (Rp2.14 trillion allocation).
Will these initiatives be successful in eradicating the food import mafia and achieving Indonesia’s goal of food self-sufficiency? Only time will tell.
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