{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1773368,
        "msgid": "agriculture-ministry-strengthens-food-oversight-to-safeguard-national-economic-stability-1780078119",
        "date": "2026-05-29 23:13:35",
        "title": "Agriculture Ministry strengthens food oversight to safeguard national economic stability",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Agriculture",
        "summary": "The Ministry of Agriculture is intensifying food supply chain oversight to combat 'food mafia' practices that manipulate distribution and prices. With 94 cases handled in 2024-25, including rice and cooking oil scandals, the ministry warns of potential annual consumer losses of Rp99.35 trillion. Authorities are enforcing strict legal action and inter-agency coordination to protect consumers and maintain national food security.",
        "content": "<p>The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) is strengthening food sector\noversight to maintain national economic stability, protect the public,\nand ensure the smooth and controlled distribution of strategic food\nsupplies across all regions. Agriculture Ministry Inspector General\nIrham Waroihan emphasised the need for enhanced oversight to prevent\nfood mafia practices that harm the public, disrupt distribution, and\naffect national food price stability. \u2018The strengthened oversight\nfollows various dynamics in the food supply chain often exploited by\ncertain individuals for profit through distribution manipulation,\nhoarding, or price manipulation on the ground,\u2019 Waroihan stated in\nJakarta on Friday. He added that food mafia activities typically emerge\nwhen the government implements strategic policies directly tied to\npublic welfare and national food security. \u2018Whenever strategic policies\nare introduced for national and public interests, the food mafia always\nseeks loopholes, including in the cooking oil supply chain,\u2019 Waroihan\nsaid. The government is reinforcing palm oil and cooking oil supply\nchains to ensure distribution and supply meet public needs. One measure\nis the domestic market obligation (DMO) policy to guarantee domestic\nsupply. However, he stressed that continued oversight is necessary to\nensure policies are implemented correctly and not exploited by parties\nfor profit at the public\u2019s expense. Therefore, Kementan is enhancing\ncomprehensive oversight from upstream to downstream to ensure smooth\nfood distribution, adequate supply, and stable prices. \u2018Strict oversight\nfrom upstream to downstream is essential as it concerns the welfare of\nthe public,\u2019 he said. Kementan is also strengthening inter-ministerial\nand institutional coordination, including with law enforcement, regional\ngovernments, and businesses, to maintain national food stability. These\nsteps aim to ensure optimal price stabilisation, supply availability,\ndistribution, and food reserve management on the ground. If violations\nsuch as hoarding or price manipulation are found, Kementan will enforce\nstrict and measured legal action. \u2018Legal enforcement must serve as a\ndeterrent to prevent recurrence of such practices,\u2019 Waroihan stressed.\nAmid food price fluctuations, Kementan urged the public to remain calm\nand trust ongoing strengthened oversight. \u2018We hope the public remains\ncalm and confident that the government will take concrete steps,\nincluding field oversight and regulatory enhancements. The government\nwill not stand idly by against food mafia,\u2019 he said. Previously,\nAgriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman stressed that legal enforcement\nagainst food mafia must be strict and uncompromising to protect the\npublic and maintain national food stability. \u2018As per President Prabowo\u2019s\ndirective, we are tasked with achieving food self-sufficiency and\nenforcing the law when there is misconduct. There is no compromise,\u2019 the\nminister said. He also affirmed that anti-food mafia efforts target both\nexternal actors and internal ministry personnel. Kementan data shows 94\ncases handled from 2024\u20132025: 46 rice, 27 fertilizer, 16 oil, and 3\ninvolving internal staff, totaling 77 suspects. Additionally, 2,231\nproblematic retail and distributor fertilizer licences have been\nrevoked. Over the past 10 months, the ministry has referred 260 cases to\nlaw enforcement authorities (APH). One major case involved blended rice\nscandals. From 268 samples tested in 13 labs across 10 provinces, 212\npremium and medium rice brands failed to meet quality, weight, and\ngovernment maximum retail price (HET) standards. The tests revealed\n85.56% of premium rice did not meet standards, potentially costing\nconsumers up to Rp99.35 trillion annually. Thus, Kementan will continue\nstrengthening oversight and enforcement against food mafia practices to\nprotect the public and safeguard national food security.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/agriculture-ministry-strengthens-food-oversight-to-safeguard-national-economic-stability-1780078119",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}