JAKARTA - The House of Representatives has highlighted the discovery of a case of smuggling 133.5 tons of illegal onions that were suspected of bringing diseases to Indonesia.
Member of Commission VI of the DPR, Christiany Eugenia Paruntu, emphasized that this practice of smuggling food cannot be tolerated because it carries the risk of plant diseases that can threaten food security and harm local farmers.
Christiany said the entry of horticultural commodities without quarantine procedures and official documents not only violated the law, but also had the potential to damage the agricultural ecosystem and suppress the prices of domestic farmers' crops.
"If diseased commodities enter without quarantine, the impact can be long-term. This is not just about illegal trade, but about protecting farmers and national food security," Christiany told reporters, Monday, January 12.
Christiany said that this case shows the weakness of the supervision of the strategic food distribution chain, especially in the port and inter-regional lines. He also assessed that this case should be a momentum for the government to tighten supervision of the import and distribution of strategic commodities.
"The Ministry of Trade must be more assertive through tightening import permits, post-port distribution supervision, and taking action against business actors who violate the provisions," said the Golkar legislator.
Christiany also asked SOEs, in this case those operating in the logistics and food sectors, to take responsibility for ensuring that the supply chain runs according to the rules and does not become a loophole for the entry of illegal commodities.
"Supervision must be firm from upstream to downstream. The state must not lose to illegal practices that harm farmers and consumers," he said.
In addition, Christiany highlighted the economic impact of the entry of illegal onions on the stability of prices and the sustainability of the domestic horticultural farmers' business. According to him, the flood of illegal products can suppress prices at the farmer level and weaken the spirit of production.
Therefore, he asked the government not only to focus on enforcement, but also to strengthen the protection of the domestic market, including ensuring the absorption of the results of local farmers' production and maintaining the balance of supply so that prices remain in favor of farmers.
Christiany emphasized that Commission VI of the DPR would continue to monitor this case until it was completed and ensure that there was a deterrent effect for the perpetrators. He assessed that consistent and firm enforcement of the law was the key to maintaining Indonesia's food sovereignty.
"Food security cannot be built if smuggling practices are still allowed. The state must be present to protect farmers, consumers, and the future of national agriculture," he concluded.
Previously, the Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Amran Sulaiman, ensured that he would not tolerate illegal imports of onions, because it was considered to be harmful to the national agricultural sector and to the people on a large scale. Amran emphasized that heavy sanctions should be imposed on the perpetrators.
"It must be punished as heavily as possible. Not yet (there is no legal action). But it must be dealt with. Punished as heavily as possible. It betrays the nation," said Amran at a press conference, Monday, January 12.
Amran reminded of the serious impact of the entry of illegal products that do not go through quarantine and customs inspections. According to him, the threat of diseases that are brought can lead to very large economic losses.
"Do you know the impact? If this spreads the virus, Indonesia has suffered losses, FMD, remember? Oral Hoof Disease. We lost 6 million cattle (cattle). 6 million times Rp. 20 million, that's Rp. 120 trillion," he explained.
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