Bulog Chief Speaks Out After Eight Subordinates Implicated in SPHP Rice Case
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Perum Bulog president director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani has spoken about the removal and suspension of eight Bulog officials following alleged misuse of rice distributed under the Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP) programme. Six officials have been suspended, while two others have received warning letters.
Rizal said the decisions were made in line with instructions from Agriculture Minister and National Food Agency (Bapanas) head Amran Sulaiman, and following a meeting of Bulog’s board of directors.
“On the Agriculture Minister’s instructions and following the board meeting, we decided to suspend six people and issue warning letters to two others, based on his considerations,” Rizal told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday (29 October 2026).
He said the suspensions were a way for senior management to take responsibility for overseeing SPHP rice distribution and preventing its misuse. The measure would also allow an internal investigation to examine whether Bulog employees were involved.
“The point is, if the people concerned remain in their posts, there is a risk that evidence could be removed. So they have been suspended for now, until it is established whether or not they are involved. If they are found to be involved, in accordance with the Minister’s instructions and government policy, legal proceedings will follow under the applicable rules. If they are not, we will restore their good names,” he said.
Bulog has formed a task force with the police to investigate allegations that SPHP rice was removed from its packaging and repacked. The investigation is also examining the possibility that insiders were involved.
“The investigation is now being conducted with assistance from colleagues at the East Jakarta Police. If anyone is involved, legal action will be taken, as in other cases,” he said.
Bulog will also review its Rumah Pangan Kita (RPK) partners across Indonesia, particularly those whose rice-ordering patterns are unusual.
Rizal said one partner under investigation had ordered four tonnes of rice on each of two consecutive days. Purchases of SPHP rice through RPK outlets are subject to quantity limits.
“The rules state that each RPK can order a maximum of two to four tonnes at a time. Normally, ordering four tonnes for a week would already be a very high volume,” Rizal said.
He added that the ordering pattern was still being investigated to establish why repeated transactions had taken place without being detected by the staff responsible for monitoring distribution.
Bulog said its investigation would be extended nationwide to prevent further misuse of subsidised rice.