Sulaiman noted here on Sunday that the initiative shows the police's commitment to protecting people against practices that compromise public welfare. He elaborated that the police discovered that the practice took place in Rejosari, Tenayan Raya Sub-district, Pekanbaru.
Some nine tonnes of faux premium rice were seized from a local distributor, R, who has been named as the perpetrator.
According to police investigation, the modus operandi includes mixing medium-quality rice with bad ones, and then rebranding it as one that meets the standard set in Food Stock and Price Stability (SPHP) policy.
Another modus operandi includes buying cheap rice from Pelalawan District and repackaging it to look like they are from premium brands, like Aira, Family, Anak Dara Merah.
The practice, the minister said, forced people to pay an extra Rp5 thousand to Rp7 thousand per kilogram of rice. The approximate difference can even reach Rp9 thousand when plain rice is falsely rebranded as a premium kind, Sulaiman added.
"Moreover, allegedly the quality of rice is below quality standard," he noted.
Sulaiman went to Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Tuesday, July 22, and discussed food stability with Riau Police Chief Herry Heryawan, including the issue about falsely rebranded rice.
According to him, the harmful practice is against the Food Stock and Price Stability (SPHP) policy marked in Law number 18 of 2012 about Food. The minister stressed that the policy aims to ensure that people have access to high-quality rice at an affordable price.
"The practice of falsely rebranding rice is a betrayal towards the people. The SPHP program is backed by people's money, to help people's purchasing power and keep inflation in check," he highlighted.
He drew attention to past findings that show a loss of up to Rp99.35 trillion (about US$ 6.4 billion) per year due to problematic practices perpetrated by 212 rice brands across 10 provinces.
Hence, he noted his commitment to collaborating with Police and other law enforcement, to ensure that no one messes with people's food. Moreover, the government is implementing stricter monitoring of SPHP rice distribution all across Indonesia by involving regional police, he said.
"The perpetrator must be given severe punishment to instill a deterrent effect," he noted.
In the same statement, Riau Police Chief Herry Heryawan said that the crime compromises the well-being of children who need nutritious foods.
"The state has rolled out a subsidy, yet irresponsible people take advantage of it for their own gains. This is more than just fraud in trade," Heryawan remarked.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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