Legislator deems review of pickup truck imports from India the right move

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Gandung Pardiman, stated that the decision to review the plan to import 105,000 pickup trucks from India by PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Persero) for the needs of village cooperatives is a correct step. Gandung said that strengthening the village economy through the Merah Putih Village/Urban Cooperative needs to be supported, but the policy instruments must be appropriate and favour the national industry. “The government should prioritise national automotive products, which are actually capable of producing their own commercial vehicles,” Gandung said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. According to him, there needs to be clear support for the national strategic programme initiated by President Prabowo Subianto through Astacita, for the national automotive industry. Therefore, he encouraged the government to utilise this momentum to reintegrate the national car industry so that it can meet the commercial vehicle needs of the Merah Putih Kopdes (Village Cooperatives). “National manufacturers, component industries, and financial institutions need to be brought together in an ecosystem that enables the fulfilment of pickup truck needs from within the country through mutually beneficial cooperation schemes,” he said. In addition, a business model that truly benefits the village and cooperative members needs to be designed. “It should not just be a market for imported products,” he added. The purchase of domestic industry has the potential to boost local components. Therefore, he also encouraged the government to invite industry players, automotive associations, and business circles to sit together to find a fair formulation between the interests of the Merah Putih Kopdes programme and the sustainability of the national industry. He requested that every strategic policy related to large-scale state spending be guided by support for the national industry, strengthening the people’s economy, and budget efficiency. “Domestic products should be the primary choice as long as they are technically and economically capable of meeting the needs of government programmes,” Gandung added. According to him, the plan needs to be postponed because President Prabowo Subianto is still carrying out a working visit abroad. Dasco also believes that President Prabowo will discuss the details regarding the plan to import pickup trucks. In addition, Dasco said that the President will also seek opinions and assess the readiness of domestic companies. “So, we have conveyed the message to postpone it for now,” said Dasco at the parliamentary complex, Jakarta, on Monday (23/2). Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa admitted that he agreed with Dasco’s statement. “Mr. Dasco made a comment yesterday, we will follow Mr. Dasco’s lead,” said Purbaya to reporters at the Ministry of Finance office, Jakarta, on Tuesday. Purbaya believes that President Prabowo Subianto has a clear stance regarding the plan, that the President wants to promote the domestic industry. “In my opinion, the President’s goal should be to promote the domestic industry. I think the President’s position is clear on this,” he said. Copyright © ANTARA 2026 It is strictly prohibited to take content, crawl or automatically index for AI on this website without written permission from the ANTARA News Agency.