Amran Suddenly Wants to Strengthen Bulog and Others' Roles Again, For What?

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Minister of Agriculture/Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Amran Sulaiman has affirmed that the government will strengthen the role of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to restore the glory of the national food sector. This step is aimed at pursuing production of several strategic commodities that have so far relied on imports. “SOEs, including Bulog, must be strengthened going forward. So we’re chasing this again; milk and meat are one package. Soybeans, garlic—we’re pursuing these,” Amran told reporters at his office in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/4/2026). He explained that the government is preparing a scheme so that SOEs do not only act as off-takers but are also directly involved in food production, including for garlic and soybean commodities. “SOEs. We’ll design it later. I’m currently designing it… Garlic, SOEs will join in planting, soybeans too,” he said. Nevertheless, Amran declined to provide more details on when SOEs would be encouraged to plant these two strategic commodities. “But later (I’ll convey it),” he stated. According to him, strengthening the role of SOEs is part of efforts to close gaps in trade issues that have so far triggered anomalies in the market. He highlighted the condition where Indonesia still imports sugar, yet at the same time, domestic sugar production is not optimally absorbed. “We’ll strive so that it doesn’t happen like before. Strange, right? A magical country like this. We import sugar, but domestic sugar can’t sell. What do you think is going on? There’s an anomaly, right. If there’s an anomaly, what’s there? Games, mafia,” he asserted. Amran also reminded the importance of strict supervision to prevent leaks in food distribution and trade. He even asked the public to participate in monitoring and reporting any violations found. “We must be disciplined now. But the most important thing is if there’s another leak, please report it. We’ll take firm action immediately,” Amran said. He assured that the government would not hesitate to impose severe sanctions on perpetrators who harm the public. Legal action has even been taken in several regions. “In West Java and South Kalimantan, they were directly prosecuted… No mercy. Those who oppress the people, as long as I’m minister, no mercy,” he concluded.