Minister: Rice Smuggling Harms Indonesia's Food Self-Sufficiency Bid - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara believes illegal rice imports taint Indonesia's bid on food self-sufficiency. The minister disclosed the cases of illegally imported rice, salt, and garments that have been handled by the Customs and Excise DG. 

"Rice smuggling taints our food self-sufficiency," Suahasil said at a press conference at the Customs and Excise office in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

According to him, rice smuggling into Indonesia is detrimental to farmers and consumers, since the storage, delivery or quality of the products cannot be traced. 

Suahasil said Indonesia is targeted by illegal rice importers due to the size of its market. He urged the Customs and Excise DG to protect the Indonesian market.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Customs and Excise have taken four actions against illegal imports across several locations for the past month. During the four raids, officers found 30 containers of rice and salt and 1,435 bales of imported used clothing. The total value of these illegally imported goods is estimated at Rp27.3 billion.

Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, said the goods were discovered at Tanjung Perak Port, the Malacca Strait, the Bonded Area in Bogor, and Tanjung Priok Port.

"From the inspection results, Customs and Excise found indications of misdeclaration, including attempts to defraud through packaging and the arrangement of goods," he said.