Agriculture Minister Amran Commits to Eradicate the Food Mafia and Corrupt Officials for Farmers
Government continues strengthening the war on food mafia, fertilizer mafia, price manipulation, distribution, and illegal land grabbing that have for years harmed the people and the state. Under the leadership of Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, enforcement is no longer aimed only at small players in the field, but digs deeper to dismantle cartel networks, price manipulation, stock manipulation, internal corruption, and illegal forest-area grabbing.
Data from the National Task Force on Food Security (Satgas Pangan Polri) show two phases of action with distinct characteristics. In the first period, 2017–2019, it spanned three full years with a total of 784 cases dealt with. The breakdown: 66 cases in rice, 22 cases in horticultural commodities, 27 livestock, 13 fertilisers, and 247 other agricultural sector cases. Of all these actions, authorities succeeded in naming 411 suspects.
Meanwhile in the period 2024–2025, which is only about two years in, 94 cases in the agricultural sector have been handled. Details: 46 cases of rice, 27 fertilisers, 16 cooking oil, and 3 cases involving internal actors. The total suspects named reached 77.
However the crackdown this period did not stop at criminal aspects alone. The government also took structural measures by revoking 2,231 licences for retailers and distributors of problematic fertilisers in 2024–2025. This step constitutes one of the largest corrective actions in fertiliser distribution governance.
The 2024–2026 enforcement period is not limited to statistics; it has been marked by the disclosure of several major cases long considered to burden the public. The ‘oplosan’ rice scandal became one of the biggest disclosures. From 268 samples across 13 laboratories in 10 provinces, 212 premium and medium rice brands were found not to meet quality standards, weight, or the Highest Retail Price (HET). In other words, about 85.56 percent of premium rice in circulation did not meet standards.
Also found were practices of re-packaging SPHP rice and selling it as premium rice at higher prices. The estimated consumer losses from these practices are about Rp99.35 trillion per year. The Ministry of Agriculture subsequently reported these findings to law enforcement for follow-up.
Similar practices were found in the distribution of MinyaKita cooking oil. Oil products that should be sold at the HET of Rp15,700 per litre were sold for up to Rp18,000 per litre with inaccurate measurements. In a February 2026 inspection, residual MinyaKita problems were still circulating; under these conditions there can be no compromise—prosecute those who hamper the state. From the overall uncovering of the oil cartel network, 20 suspects have been named.
The fertiliser sector audit uncovered five fake fertilisers that contained no nutrients at all. The nitrogen, potassium and phosphate contents were recorded as zero, so farmers were basically buying material that did not benefit the plants. Farmers were effectively buying soil packaged as fertiliser. The losses to farmers from these practices are estimated at Rp3.3 trillion. Many victims are farmers receiving KUR who experienced crop failure and economic pressure. A total of 27 suspects from upstream to downstream have been named, and 2,231 retailer and distributor fertiliser licences have officially been revoked.
Continuing with anomalies found at Cipinang Main Rice Market (PIBC). On 28 May 2025, rice outflow was recorded at 11,410 tonnes in a single day, far exceeding the normal average of 2,000–3,000 tonnes per day. This extreme spike strongly suggested data manipulation by middlemen to raise consumer prices. The Food Task Force (Satgas Pangan) of Polri was deployed to investigate.
Crackdown does not spare anyone. Eleven second-echelon officials at the Ministry of Agriculture have been sanctioned, some of whom are now on the Wanted Persons List (DPO).
Minister Amran said: ‘This is not image-building. The second-echelon suspects in our department are now DPOs.’
Beyond the food mafia crackdown, President Prabowo specifically appointed the Agriculture Minister as a member of the Task Force for Accelerating the Governance of the Palm Oil Industry and Maximising State Revenue (Satgas PKH), a direct trust from the head of state reflecting Amran’s track record in agrarian and plantation law enforcement.
Satgas PKH notes a historic achievement: 4 million hectares of forest areas historically unlawfully controlled by plantation companies have been seized and returned to the state. This is the largest land-clearing operation in the history of Indonesia’s forestry governance. It signals that an era of tolerating encroachment of forests for corporate interests is over.
Officials from the Supreme Court found the Wilmar Group guilty in a case involving corruption around the export facilities for crude palm oil (CPO) and cooking oil. The company was ordered to pay a fine of Rp[unknown] billion and to pay compensation of Rp11.88 trillion, funds which have all been seized by the Attorney General’s Office.
Through Satgas PKH, the government also imposed penalties for illegal plantation activities in forest areas. PT Multimas Nabati Asahan was fined Rp8.02 billion and PT Sinar Alam Permai Rp3.37 billion. The total financial penalties imposed on the Wilmar Group exceeded Rp11 trillion.