Government Tightens Evaluation of Plantation Seed Providers

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has stated that the government is tightening evaluations of all seed providers involved in the plantation seed development programme to ensure quality, quantity, and distribution to farmers meet regulations. “This is a strategic programme with a budget of almost Rp10 trillion. No one should play games,” Amran said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He warned that providers failing to meet standards could be removed from the government’s partner list and face legal action. The government has allocated Rp9.95 trillion for the programme, which targets strategic plantation commodities including coconut, coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, nutmeg, pepper, and cashew.

During a coordination meeting for 2026 seed production activities at the Ministry of Agriculture, Amran said oversight of the programme involves a task force, law enforcement officials, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and Police (Polri). “Don’t try to mess with the quality, quantity, or procurement process. If there are violations, we will not compromise,” he said.

Amran emphasised that there is no room for brokerage practices or external interventions in the programme’s implementation, and all companies will be treated equally regardless of their connections to officials. The Directorate of Plantation Seeds, together with seed producers for the targeted commodities, signed an integrity pact as a commitment to maintaining integrity, transparency, and the quality of seeds distributed to farmers. The coordination meeting was attended by 198 seed producers from various regions involved in the national seed provision programme.