Geopolitical Uncertainty: DPR Commission VII Calls for Policy Relaxation in the Food and Beverage Industry

INFO NASIONAL - Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) says policy relaxation is necessary, particularly regarding the Food and Beverages (F&B) industry, to respond to the current global geopolitical situation. The F&B sector has a significant contribution to exports, especially to the three main destination countries: China, the United States, and India.

According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) for January–September 2025, the share of these three destinations in total Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports reached 41.81 percent. “However, along the way there are many challenges and issues to face. Moreover, now we face the biggest issue in front of us; there is already a geopolitical contraction beginning to emerge,” said Erna Sari Dewi, Chair of the Working Visit and Recess Team of Commission VII to PT GarudaFood Putra-Putri Jaya, in Gresik, East Java, on Thursday, 5 March 2026.

In front of representatives from eight ministry/institution partners, Commission VII has also inventoried and identified several industry challenges in responding to the volatility. Accordingly, Erna hopes the Government should adopt more relaxed policies.

“Then there must be government policies that are more flexible regarding how to secure the supply of raw materials, which is important. We also urge business actors to diversify products, in terms of design and other aspects, to overcome high production costs,” she said.

Also present at the event were other Commission VII members of the DPR: Maria Lestari and Nila Yani Hardiyanti from the PDI-P faction, Bambang Haryo Soekartono and Jamal Mirdad from the Gerindra Party, Mohammad Toha from the PKB faction, Alifudin from the PKS faction, and Dina Lorenza Audria from the Democratic Party faction.