Agrinas Boss Responds to Calls to Postpone Import of Indian Pick-up Trucks
The Director of PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota, responded to the request from the Deputy Speaker of the DPR RI, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, for the government to postpone the plan to import 105,000 pick-up trucks from India for the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih.
“We will follow whatever the DPR says, and we will follow whatever the government says. We are committed, loyal, and dedicated to the country and its people,” said Joao in Jakarta on Monday, February 23, 2026, as quoted by Antara.
The import plan by Agrinas was announced by the Indian automotive company, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), on their company website on February 4, 2026. M&M announced that it would supply 35,000 units of Scorpio pick-up trucks. Six days later, Tata Motors Limited announced plans to export 70,000 pick-up trucks to Indonesia.
On February 20, 2026, the Director of Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota, confirmed the import of 105,000 vehicles from the Indian companies. The 105,000 vehicles consist of 35,000 units of 4x4 pick-up trucks from M&M, and 35,000 units of 4x4 pick-up trucks and 35,000 units of six-wheeled trucks from Tata Motors.
The statement by the head of the state-owned enterprise that deals with the cultivation (on-farm) of food crops, such as rice, corn, and tubers, as well as processing and distribution (off-farm), was supported by the Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa.
In a press conference on the APBN KiTa held on Monday, February 23, 2026, Purbaya stated that the government would pay off the debt from banks that are members of the Association of State-Owned Banks to finance the import of pick-up trucks using state funds of IDR 40 trillion per year for six years.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang, emphasized that Indonesia is capable of producing pick-up trucks independently, which is proof of the independence of the national automotive industry, as well as providing significant economic added value for the economy.
In fact, according to Agus, if the import of 70,000 units of 4x2 pick-up trucks is met from domestic production, it will have a backward linkage economic impact of around IDR 27 trillion.
The PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara team received 1,200 units of “Mahindra Scorpio” pick-up trucks from India in Jakarta on February 12, 2026. Photo: Agrinas Pangan Nusantara.
Amid the widespread rejection of the import of pick-up trucks from India for the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih program, 1,200 units of Mahindra Scorpio pick-up trucks have arrived in Jakarta on February 12, 2026. “1,200 Mahindra units have arrived,” said the Director of Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota, when contacted by Tempo yesterday.
The Deputy Speaker of the DPR, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, said that he had conveyed to the government to postpone the plan to import 105,000 vehicles from India for the needs of the Koperasi Desa program.
The plan needs to be postponed, said Dasco, because President Prabowo Subianto is still on a working visit abroad. According to him, the President will also discuss the details of the plan.
Dasco stated that the President will also seek input and assess the readiness of domestic companies regarding the plan to import Indian pick-up trucks. “So we have conveyed the message to postpone it first. That’s it,” said Dasco at the parliament complex, Jakarta, Monday.
Ilona Estherina contributed to the writing of this article.