Badanas Asks Food And Private SOEs To Accelerate Realization Of New Sugar Imports 26 Percent

Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi asked State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) in the food and private sector to accelerate the realization of sugar imports, which until now have only reached 26 percent or 249,781 tons of the total quota of 1.01 million tons.

"Our import realization is only 26 percent, so as soon as possible our brothers and sisters who hold the import quota must realize their imports, including SOEs in the food sector of RNI and PTPN," said Arief at the Simultaneous Cheap Food Movement event at the Bapanas Office, Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, October 16.

Arief said that the low realization of imports was also caused by the private sector, which would only import prices abroad. Even though the main purpose of imports, he emphasized, is not about prices but the fulfillment of stocks.

"Privat (private) is also the same as importing if it's profitable, then if the price outside is higher they don't import. That's not the way, importing is not just a price," he said.

Nevertheless, Arief emphasized that his party would review the Reference Purchase Price (HAP) of sugar so that importers would not lose money.

On the same occasion, the Director of ID FOOD, Frans Marganda Tambunan, did not deny the plan to adjust the Purchase Reference Price (HAP) to boost the realization of sugar imports.

According to him, the realization of sugar imports must be accelerated because based on BPS data as of September 2023, price increases have occurred in 300 districts/cities, which are a signal that sugar prices at the end of the year will be even more expensive.

"We will see timing, we will not issue it when the stock in the community is still large. This is for buffers, especially to anticipate price increases in January. We will definitely see that and we usually discuss it with farmers," he explained.

The state-owned companies that have been assigned to import sugar are PTPN III and PT RNI with a quota of 107,900 each. In addition, there are 16 private companies that have been assigned to import 796 thousand tons of raw crystal sugar.