Playing Price, Minister Of Agriculture Revokes Permit 2,039 Distributor Pupuk Kiosk Units

Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Amran Sulaiman revoked the permit for 2,038 units of fertilizer distribution kiosks. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Amran Sulaiman revoked the permit for 2,038 units of fertilizer distribution kiosks.

The permit was revoked because thousands of kiosks were caught playing the price.

There are still complaints from farmers throughout Indonesia. We found 2,039 stalls, distributors, retailers who had problems. Today we announce that the permit has been revoked," he said at a press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture Office, Jakarta, Monday, October 13.

Even so, Amran still provides a clarification room for distributors whose permits are revoked. According to Amran, distributors can argue if they are right.

"But those who think that they are right may submit clarification to the board of directors (PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero). But today we revoke (the permit first)," he said.

According to Amran, these rogue distributors have been practicing this price manipulation for years.

In fact, they raised prices in the range of 18 to 20 percent of the price set by the government.

(They) raised prices by 18 to 20 percent. An 18 percent average throughout Indonesia. And this should no longer happen, nowadays," he said.

Amran admitted that he had conducted an investigation to trace the fraud. He said this cheating practice was found to have started with complaints from farmers who had difficulty getting fertilizer at a low price.

Padahal, sambung Amran, ketersediaan pupuk berlimpah. Bahkan, penyaluran dilakukan langsung ke kelompok pertanian.

“Ini enggak boleh terjadi. Ini permainan sudah lama. Selama satu tahun terakhir yang dicabut ada 30an. Tetapi setelah kami mengecek seluruh Indonesia, ternyata ribuan. Estimasi kerugian petani, ini estimasi ya, itu Rp600 miliar per tahun,” katanya.

In fact, continued Amran, the availability of fertilizer is abundant. In fact, distribution is carried out directly to agricultural groups.

"This shouldn't happen. This is a long game. Over the past year, there have been 30s that have been revoked. But after we checked all of Indonesia, it turned out that it was thousands. Estimated loss to farmers, this is an estimate, yes, it's IDR 600 billion per year," he said.