Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 08:30 AM

Minister details Indonesia's shifting role in global rice market

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Aria, Kenzu

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has outlined how the country's position in global rice market has shifted, following large-scale rice imports in 2023-2024 before the government declared it had achieved self-sufficiency in 2025.

Sulaiman explained the shift while responding to a question on the impact of illegal rice imports on food trade and farmers at a press conference on the crackdown on illegal imports of rice, salt, and used clothing bales here on Tuesday.

"Under President Prabowo's leadership, we were asked to achieve self-sufficiency within four years, but we achieved it in just one year, which is the fastest in history," he said.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded Indonesia's rice import volume at 3.06 million tons in 2023 and around 4.52 million tons in 2024, bringing the country's total rice imports over the two years to around 7.58 million tons.

Sulaiman then highlighted price dynamics in the international rice market during the period when Indonesia's position began shifting away from being a major rice importer.

"Because there were no imports, the world's rice-exporting countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, and others, certainly saw pressure on their farmers," he said.

In terms of crackdown on illegal imports, Sulaiman said the significant size of Indonesia's domestic rice market continues to make it a target for parties attempting to bring in rice through illegal channels, even though domestic needs are already met by national production.

"Indonesia becomes a target because it is the largest market, yet it suddenly achieved self-sufficiency," he said.

Sulaiman said the decline in international rice prices has created a price gap that could offer economic gains to parties smuggling rice into Indonesia.

For example, he explained, if one million tons of rice were smuggled into Indonesia, the profit from such a scheme could reach around Rp5 trillion to Rp6 trillion, based on his calculations.

The press conference was held following four enforcement actions carried out by Customs and Excise between August and September 2026 in the Malacca Strait waters, Tanjung Perak Port, a bonded zone in Bogor, and Tanjung Priok Port.

Customs and Excise seized 30 containers of rice and salt that did not match their customs declarations, along with around 1,435 bales of suspected used clothing. The total value of the seized goods is estimated at Rp27.34 billion.

At the same press conference, Indonesia's Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara said the government is strengthening import oversight through the integrity of human resources, the use of technology and systems, and improvements to customs business processes.

"So, the most important, I always believe the most important element is the people. The people must have integrity," Nazara said.

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