Amran Flags Procurement Issues During Agriculture Ministry Spot Check, Not Just Civil Servants Smoking at Work

Jakarta, VIVA – Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman carried out a surprise inspection at the offices of the Directorate General of Food Crops and the Directorate General of Horticulture in Pasar Minggu, Jakarta, on Thursday (8 October).

The inspection was intended to ensure staff discipline and strengthen oversight of agricultural programmes.

During the inspection, Amran checked staff attendance in offices and at desks. He also asked about several employees who were not at their workstations during working hours.

Amran even found an employee smoking at the workplace during working hours and asked why the employee had left their duties to smoke.

“It’s working hours. Why are you smoking?” Amran asked.

Alongside staff discipline, Amran raised concerns about the procurement of goods and services at the Ministry of Agriculture. He stressed that there must be no attempts to influence the selection of tender winners.

“There must be no more backroom arrangements. Tender winners must be selected in accordance with the rules and applicable procedures,” Amran said.

Amran also asked officials to ensure procurement processes were transparent and accountable. He said there must be no manipulation in procurement, including for programmes directly affecting farmers.

“Clean up the offices; there must be no funny business. Everyone must work in accordance with the rules,” he said.

During the inspection, Amran also discussed oversight of agricultural assistance, including seeds received by farmers. He said every complaint from farmers must be followed up seriously and not merely dealt with through administrative paperwork.

“If farmers complain that the seeds are poor quality, don’t just rely on a handover report. It must be checked in the field,” Amran said.

He said the Ministry of Agriculture has a monitoring and evaluation team tasked with checking programme implementation in the field.

“We have a monitoring and evaluation team. Check it,” he said.

Amran also asked senior officials to ensure that employees assigned to duties were genuinely carrying out their responsibilities.

When he found one office empty, he asked where the staff assigned there were.

After being told that several employees were supporting the Modern Agriculture (PM-AAS) programme in Subang, Amran immediately made a video call to verify the information.