Regarding Oplosan Rice, Badanas Boss To Retailer: Why Withdraw It? Just Sell Cheap

Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi (antara)

JAKARTA - Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi advised retailers to sell cheaply mixed rice, instead of pulling it off the market.

"Why are they being withdrawn? It's just cheap to sell," Arief told reporters at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs Office, Jakarta, Thursday.

He explained, if rice is known to contain more broken grains than it should be, then retailers can sell it at a price according to the broken rice.

Brokennya seharusnya 15 persen, tapi misal brokennya 30 persen, jual saja senilai broken 30 persen, katanya lagi.

In this way, retailers can spend the supply of mixed rice in the market.

Then, for the milled rice, it is recommended to review the arrangement of the pangolin machine to ensure that the system works as expected.

Arief also said that the government would not issue instructions for withdrawing mixed rice.

"Why are you being pulled? It's better to give it to the community. My advice is to spend it, sell it according to the specifications of the rice. If the broken price is 40, sell it for broken 40," he also said.

Previously, Chairman of the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo) Solihin said that his party would not withdraw premium rice which was suspected of having been mixed with medium types in modern retail stores, as long as there were no instructions from the authorities.

Solihin, in Jakarta, Thursday, said the retail association had agreed to hold producers accountable for mixed rice.

According to him, what is listed in the work contract between retail stores and producers is in the form of purchasing premium rice.

Regulation of the National Food Agency of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2023 has regulated the quality requirements of rice.

For the degree of sosoh and water levels of all categories, both premium, medium, submedium, and rupture, it is determined by the same provisions. The degree of the figure is at least 95 percent and the water level does not exceed 14 percent.

Meanwhile, the provisions for the menir item, broken item, other rice grains, grains of grain, and other objects are determined to be different.

For premium rice, the content of the menir grain is a maximum of 0.5 percent, and the broken grain should not be more than 15 percent. The composition of other grains is limited to a maximum of 1 percent, while grains of grain and other objects are 0 percent.

For medium rice, the menir item is set at 2 percent and the rice fracture reaches 25 percent. The total other grains are allowed up to 4 percent, with a maximum grain content of 1 percent and other objects 0.05 percent.

For submedium rice, menir grains are a maximum of 4 percent, rice fractures are 40 percent, other rice grains are a maximum of 5 percent, grains are 2 percent grain, and other objects are 0.05 percent.

As for broken rice, menir grain tolerance is a maximum of 5 percent, broken grains are above 40 percent, other rice grains are 5 percent, grains are 3 percent grain, and other objects are 0.05 percent.