Agrinas Boss to Meet Dasco, Explain Reasons for Choosing Indian Pickups and Trucks
Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Persero) has affirmed that its plan to import 105,000 pickup trucks from India is a company business initiative, not directed by any particular party. Amidst the ongoing polemic, Agrinas’ Director, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota, stated that he would meet with Deputy Speaker of the DPR RI, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, to provide a direct explanation and seek guidance.
“I will seek time to request guidance and direction from Mr. Dasco, who has expressed concerns regarding this postponement (of the pickup truck import from India),” he said in a statement to the media, quoted on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).
Joao also affirmed that as a state-owned enterprise (BUMN), Agrinas will comply with government and DPR decisions. He dismissed the notion that the policy was driven by specific interests and stated that he is prepared to halt the import if requested by the state. He believes it is important to provide a complete picture so that the information received by stakeholders is not one-sided.
“He is a wise man, and I am confident that with the complete information I provide, he will see that our good intentions deserve appreciation. Perhaps he has only been listening to one side. So now I will try to find time to meet with him,” said Joao.
“Who is rejecting this? Because I am a BUMN, I will certainly obey the government and the people. So we are only loyal to the state and the people, not to any individual or group that is rejecting it. As long as the state supports what we are doing, we will carry it out,” he emphasized.
Even if the decision to halt the import leads to potential lawsuits from suppliers, Joao stated that he is prepared to bear the consequences. “If the state and the DPR say that we must stop, we will stop, regardless of the risks,” he explained.
Joao said the import decision was made after the company assessed that domestic manufacturers were not able to meet the needs in terms of price and production capacity.
“This is an initiative because of the inability of production from the [local] manufacturers, which I mentioned, and who have been selling cars in Indonesia,” said Joao.
The import plan consists of 35,000 units of 4x4 pickup trucks from Mahindra & Mahindra, as well as 35,000 units of 4x4 pickup trucks and 35,000 units of six-wheeled trucks from Tata Motors. All vehicles will be used as operational fleets for the Merah Putih Village/Urban Cooperative (KDKMP).
Joao revealed that before deciding on the import, the company had invited several local automotive manufacturers, as well as those with production facilities in Indonesia. However, the offers received were deemed not to meet the company’s economic aspects.
“We made sure that we invited all local manufacturers. Astra made an offer. We did not agree with the price they offered, nor with their production capacity,” he said.
According to him, Agrinas had hoped to obtain a special pricing scheme given the large volume of purchases and the nature of the procurement as a special program. However, this did not materialize in the negotiations.
“But in the end, it turned out that most of these local manufacturers, perhaps because of their dominance for so many years, tend to feel that buying in bulk is not for them,” said Joao.
“In my opinion, this is not fair, because for this Merah Putih Cooperative, our purchases are not like a normal market. This is a special activity. So we should be given a special price.”