“The perpetrators labeled and sold ordinary rice as premium at higher prices, a practice that constitutes a scam. I want the attorney general and Polri chief to investigate and address this crime,” he said at the launch of the Red and White Village Cooperatives at a village in Klaten, Central Java, on Monday.
“I am convinced that you are committed to the sovereignty of the Indonesian nation. We must make the most of our time and dedicate our lives to fight for truth, justice, and our people,” he told the senior brass.
The President then cited a report estimating that the rice fraud caused state losses amounting to roughly Rp100 trillion (US$6 billion) per year, posing a significant impediment to the development of vital sectors, including education.
He highlighted that his government has allocated a budget of Rp19 trillion (US$1 billion) to renovate around 11 thousand schools across the country.
He then estimated that the losses caused by rice adulteration could fund the renovation of over 100 thousand schools.
“While our target is to renovate 330 thousand schools across Indonesia in three and a half years, the perpetrators instead sabotaged our economy with their actions, stabbing the nation in the back. This must stop,” he stressed.
Furthermore, Prabowo highlighted similar fraudulent practices that have repeatedly been recorded in the country.
“This case is similar to the one involving the reduction of the volume of packaged cooking oil by 10 to 20 percent, and now we are witnessing rice being subject to such practices,” he said.
The government and Polri recently opened an investigation into more than 268 rice brands sold across several locations in 10 provinces: Jakarta, West Java, South Sulawesi, Lampung, Aceh, South Kalimantan, North Sumatra, Central Java, East Java, and Yogyakarta.
Of these brands, 212 were found flouting government standards for quality, weight, and price.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the police have summoned and questioned several producers suspected of being involved in the case.
Related news: Indonesia flags 212 rice brands over violations
Translator: Fathur R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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