Tobacco Farmers Plead with President Prabowo to Protect Tobacco Industry Amid Regulatory Constraints
Jakarta — The Indonesian Tobacco Farmer Alliance (APTI) has appealed to President Prabowo Subianto to rescue the Tobacco Products Industry (IHT).
The statement was made by APTI Chairman Agus Parmuji following his attendance at a public hearing on the formation of a Ministerial Regulation from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Permenko PMK), which will serve as an implementing regulation for Government Regulation No. 28 concerning the implementation of Health Law No. 17 of 2024 — a regulation considered threatening to the IHT.
“We appeal to the heart of Indonesia’s President, Mr Prabowo, to monitor the state of the tobacco products industry, particularly tobacco farmers,” said Agus at a press conference in Gambir, Jakarta, on Tuesday (10 March 2026).
According to Agus, the implementing regulation under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 would limit nicotine content to a maximum of 1 milligram per cigarette and tar to 10 milligrams, potentially devastating the domestic clove cigarette industry because local tobacco typically contains nicotine levels exceeding these thresholds.
The APTI also objected to provisions that would ban additives in clove cigarettes, specifically prohibiting the use of cloves in tobacco products.
The APTI and several associations representing tobacco product companies have urged Coordinating Minister Pratikno not to enforce implementation of the regulation derived from Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024.
“If it is enforced, the result will be the collapse of the domestic tobacco industry,” Agus warned.
According to Agus, preserving the domestic tobacco industry is equivalent to preserving an economic ecosystem that has operated for decades. The tobacco industry, he explained, spans the entire value chain from production to distribution and employs millions of workers.
The alliance called on the government to consider multiple dimensions when drafting regulations, not merely health concerns.
“When making this regulation, we must consider principles of humanity, justice, and unity, so that this nation becomes strong and sovereign,” he said.
At the same forum, Chairman of the Indonesian Tobacco Community Alliance (AMTI) Edy Sutopo reminded attendees that the tobacco industry ecosystem, spanning the entire supply chain, supports the livelihoods of 6 million workers.