Jakarta (ANTARA) - Agricultural Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman called for transparency in the procurement process of agricultural equipment and materials, such as crop seeds, within his ministry.

To this end, he invited business players partnering with the ministry to a coordination meeting for agricultural production equipment and machinery in Jakarta on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Sulaiman urged the business partners to directly report irresponsible persons, within and outside the Ministry of Agriculture, asking for fees or offering projects.

"Write on papers; report to me right now. You can write about the obstacles you are facing, and if it is related to brokers, just write their names down," he told the attending business people.

Sulaiman emphasized that transparency in agricultural procurement is of the essence to creating a healthy business ecosystem in the agriculture sector, which is expected to provide direct benefits to the national economy.

He reiterated that business players are playing a critical role in accelerating agricultural production in the country.

He affirmed that officials at the ministry must properly serve them in accordance with applicable regulations.

"Because they are critical to accelerating agricultural production, we need to genuinely collaborate instead of serving as brokers," he underlined.

Sulaiman warned both business players and officials at the ministry against manipulating procurement processes in the agriculture sector, emphasizing that he would not hesitate to impose firm sanctions and take legal action.

"Once I find the perpetrators, if they are from the ministry, I will impose firm sanctions on them. If they are outsiders, I will report them to law enforcers. We will blacklist deviant business actors," he emphasized.

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Translator: Ahmad M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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