Government tightens rice oversight to curb food mafia practices

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is strengthening oversight of rice circulation to maintain price stability, protect consumers and farmers, and crack down on various practices of deviation that harm the public and threaten national food security. The head of the National Food Agency and Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said the government is addressing various deviations in the food sector, including alleged food mafia practices that affect prices at the consumer level. “Mr. President is organising the deviations that occur in this republic, including in agriculture,” Amran said in a briefing in Jakarta on Thursday. According to Amran, strengthening oversight is important because the national rice supply is currently at a safe level, with the government stock of rice managed by Bulog reaching 5.3 million tonnes by mid-May 2026. “If supply is plentiful, prices should fall. We know there is a mafia that must be dealt with in this republic. And there is proof, they are suspects. This is what we want to fix in this republic,” he said. One measure to tighten the rice sector is to conduct intensive checks on the circulation of fortified rice. Bapanas will carry out laboratory tests to verify claims about the nutritional content because fortified rice is required to meet certain contents, including vitamin B1, folic acid, B12, iron, and zinc. On the other hand, the government continues to balance price stability with farmers’ welfare. Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilisation of Bapanas I Gusti Ketut Astawa said the government will maintain the lower bound price for harvested dry paddy (GKP) at Rp6,500 per kilogram so that farmers continue to receive a fair profit and stay motivated to farm. “This is good for farmers. Don’t disrupt them, farmers are happy. The GKP may be somewhat high, but this is farmers’ happiness. Since we do not cap the upper bound of GKP, Rp6,500 becomes the lower bound,” Ketut said. According to Ketut, based on Bapanas’ monitoring as of 19 May 2026, the national average farm-gate price is Rp6,947 per kilogram. That price level rose 2.61 percent from a month earlier and up 0.40 percent from a week earlier. He noted that West Sumatra reported the highest average GKP price at Rp7,668 per kg, while the lowest in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) at Rp6,500 per kg. “Prices have started to rise, and we will move to ensure stability, of course we will manage rice prices because at farm-gate level this is farmers’ happiness. They produce; we must also give them room,” Ketut said. The seasonal pattern evident in 2025 is shown in the 2025 Rice Producer Price Survey by BPS. In 2025, the average GKP price began to rise after the harvest season in March and April, peaking in August. In May 2025, BPS recorded an average GKP price of Rp6,828 per kilogram, up 1.73 percent from April 2025 at Rp6,712 per kg. Then from June 2025, rice prices rose to Rp7,029 per kilogram and reached Rp7,399 per kilogram in August 2025. Nevertheless, according to him, inflationary pressure from rice after the harvest remained relatively controlled, as seen in monthly rice inflation in the period March–April 2025 remaining well-managed. In May 2025, inflation stood at 0.20 percent after April deflation of 0.05 percent. June 2025 at 1.00 percent. July 2025 rose to 1.35 percent and slightly declined in August 2025 to 0.73 percent. The BPS data shows rice price developments nationwide up to the second week of May 2026 remained relatively controlled. Of 355 regencies/ccities monitored, 111 reported an increase in the Rice Price Development Index (IPH). However, only 58 regencies/cities had the average median rice price exceeding the highest retail price (HET).