Deputy Minister of Manpower Urges Halt to Import of 105,000 India-made Pickups: Could Trigger Mass Layoffs

JAKARTA — Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor has called for the halt to the plan to import 105,000 pickups from India for the Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP) cooperatives. Afriansyah said he agreed with workers’ demands who feel threatened by mass layoffs. ‘The Deputy Minister asks to stop importing vehicles from India because this could potentially trigger mass layoffs and close off job opportunities for our citizens,’ Afriansyah told striking workers outside the Ministry of Manpower on Wednesday (4 March 2026). He argued that procurement of vehicles for Kopdar Merah Putih should ideally employ domestic workers. ‘In other words, when we import, we are no longer producing workers in Indonesia. Therefore, I will ask the relevant parties to stop the import of pickup trucks,’ he said.

In response, the workers represented by the President of the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers’ Union (FSPMI), Suparno, said they would continue to monitor the plan to import India pickups. ‘Again, we applaud the Minister of Manpower who has made a commitment today. We will see—let the four commitments today be written on official ministry letterhead; we will question them,’ Suparno said.

Earlier, PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Persero) said it was importing 105,000 units of vehicles from India for operational needs of Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP). The imports consist of 35,000 four-by-four pickup units from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M), and 35,000 four-by-four pickups and 35,000 six-wheeled trucks from Tata Motors. The Chief Executive Officer of Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota, said the shipments would be delivered in phases. Additionally, the vehicles would be used to distribute commodities to areas with difficult terrain.