Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2014 National Food Agency (Bapanas) chief and\nAgriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has dismissed officials from\nBapanas and state-owned Perum Bulog following alleged misappropriation\nof rice distributed under the Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP)\nprogramme. He said the move was intended to strengthen governance of the\nnational food distribution system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were 10 officials from Bulog and Bapanas. Two were given\nwarnings and eight were dismissed. The matter will then be followed up\nby the Food Task Force. If anyone is found guilty, they will face firm\naction under the law,\u201d Amran said in Jakarta on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said the action followed the discovery of alleged SPHP rice\nmisappropriation, in which private-sector actors are suspected of mixing\nthe rice with premium varieties. Eight officials at Bulog and Bapanas\nwere dismissed, while two others received warnings.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, nine private-sector actors have been subject to legal\nproceedings, with one named as a suspect.<\/p>\n
Amran said the dismissals reflected accountability for oversight of\nSPHP rice management. The government would not allow violations to go\nunpunished, particularly when the commodity involved was subsidised rice\nintended to help the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is already a suspect. But the main perpetrator will be\nidentified later,\u201d Agriculture Minister Amran said when asked about the\nprogress of the case.<\/p>\n
He explained that the dismissed employees were responsible for\nnegligence in carrying out their duties. Further examinations would\ndetermine whether there was any criminal involvement requiring action by\nlaw enforcement authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom top to bottom, dismiss them all. This is about responsibility.\nWe do not yet know how far their involvement goes, but they were\nnegligent in carrying out their duties. So we have dismissed them,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The alleged scheme involved buying rice from Bulog, opening the\npackaging and transferring the rice into different sacks. It was then\nsold through other channels, including being marketed as premium rice or\nmixed with other rice to generate greater profits.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndividuals, companies and corporations are manipulating it. This\nsubsidised SPHP rice, which should be sold to consumers for Rp12,500 per\nkilogram, is sold to companies for Rp11,500, but the packaging is then\nopened. This is a crime. It is repackaged as premium rice or mixed with\nother, lower-quality rice, then sold at a higher price,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Amran described the practice as a serious deviation because SPHP rice\nis distributed with government subsidies to ensure people can obtain\nfood at affordable prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is to help our less well-off brothers and sisters, but they\ntake what is rightfully theirs and manipulate it. This is a crime,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government provides substantial support to sustain food\nproduction and distribution. For 2026, total subsidies and\nupstream-sector support outlined by Amran amount to about Rp160\ntrillion, up from Rp144 trillion in 2025. The support includes\nfertiliser, tractors and irrigation, among other items.<\/p>\n
The government also sets a Government Purchase Price (HPP) to support\nproducers and a Highest Retail Price (HET) to protect consumers. Bulog\nreceives subsidy support when purchasing rice, which Amran said amounted\nto Rp6,000 per kilogram.<\/p>\n
Bulog president director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said the officials\nsuspended were based at the company\u2019s Jakarta and Banten regional\noffices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is like a regional post\u2014if there is a riot or a major bomb\nexplosion in a particular area, the leaders responsible for that area\nmust answer for it. It is the same in this case, which concerns Bulog\u2019s\nJakarta regional office,\u201d Rizal said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the responsibility of a leader and the staff in charge.\nFollowing the Agriculture Minister\u2019s instructions and a Bulog board\nmeeting, we decided that six people would be suspended and two would\nreceive warning letters, in line with his consideration. This is our\nresponsibility,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Rizal said the suspensions were an expression of management\u2019s moral\nresponsibility and a preventive measure to support the investigation\ninto the alleged SPHP rice misappropriation.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the suspended Bulog officials had not been proven to\nhave committed a crime. The measure was not taken because they were\nimplicated, he said, but to preserve professionalism and objectivity\nduring the investigation.<\/p>\n
According to Rizal, temporarily suspending the officials would ensure\nthey could not interfere with the investigation and allow the\nexaminations to proceed independently, transparently and accountably.\nOfficials found not to be involved would have their rights restored\nthrough appointment to equivalent positions, while those found guilty\nwould be dealt with under the law.<\/p>\n
Rizal added that Bulog is responsible for overseeing Rumah Pangan\nKita (RPK), and instructed all staff to verify, inspect and monitor\ndistribution partners to prevent further irregularities in SPHP rice\ndistribution.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/amran-dismisses-bapanas-and-bulog-officials-over-alleged-sphp-rice-misappropriation-1793253233", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }