Member Of DPR From PKS: I Ask Minister Of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo To Reduce Garlic Imports Which Reach 450,000 Tons Annually

Illustration. (Photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IV of the House of Representatives, Andi Akmal Pasluddin, asked the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce the import of garlic which annually can reach more than 450,000 tons.

"I really regret that there has been no change in the situation of domestic garlic imports, where every year we import very high numbers from China. We take 99 percent of them, the rest are from India, Taiwan, the United States, and Egypt whose numbers are only in the hundreds up to a maximum. 2,000 tons," he said, in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Monday, December 20.

The PKS politician said that government programs at the Ministry of Agriculture have been very supportive of the government's performance, especially budgetary support. Through the Directorate General of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture, at least Rp1.14 trillion has been allocated in 2021 through the APBN. However, he admitted that the budget cuts due to the pandemic caused the Ministry of Agriculture's state budget to decline by more than half since 2015.

However, he regretted that since six years ago, China, as the world's largest producer and exporter of garlic, has consistently shipped large quantities of garlic to Indonesia.

In 2015, garlic from China was 482,000 tons, 2016 was 445,000 tons, 2017 was 550,000 tons, 2018 was 585,000 tons, and 2019 was 472,000 tons. Even what has happened so far, the large import of garlic has caused this commodity to always experience a trade balance deficit from 1996.

"I specifically ask the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, at least to reduce the amount of garlic imports in our country. The activities and programs of the Ministry of Agriculture at the Directorate General of Horticulture must have a success story to suppress the import of garlic, which is a commodity that is not widely grown in Indonesia, compared to the many needs of the Indonesian people," he said.

The people's representative from South Sulawesi II suggested that there be guidance and programs that directly target garlic farmers, both for coaching assistance, seeds, and so on. Members of the DPR are ready to go directly to assist the government as well as carry out its supervisory function.

He said that currently, with the import licensing contained in the Minister of Trade Regulation No. 20/2021, importers predict that garlic has the potential to become scarce in 2022.

The Ministry of Agriculture, he said, must answer this challenge, so that imports will decline and the public's need for the availability of garlic is met at a reasonable and affordable price.

"I hope there will be improvements next year," he said.