April 21, 2025 | 11:13 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An economist from Bright Institute, Muhammad Andri Perdana, criticized the Indonesian government's plan to increase food imports from the United States, deeming it contradictory to the food self-sufficiency program. This was in response to Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto's statement that food imports would not disrupt self-sufficiency, as Indonesia has been importing wheat, soybeans, and soy milk from the U.S.
Andri stated that if the imported products were limited to wheat only, the government's justification for increasing imports could be acceptable. "However, when talking about soybeans, it's clear that what the government has been focusing on for food self-sufficiency are the three staples: rice, corn, and soybeans," said Andri when contacted on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
He also mentioned that the government has allocated hundreds of trillions for food security, including the expansion of soybean fields and the intensification of soybean production.
On the other hand, Andri stated that in 1990, Indonesia's domestic soybean production met 73 percent of domestic demand, amounting to 1.48 million tons. However, due to the 1998 monetary crisis, Indonesia liberalized trade, resulting in an influx of agricultural imports. Subsequently, according to Andri, the declining trend in soybean production has continued.
"From meeting most domestic demand through domestic production, we are now importing 92 percent of the domestic demand. This will be further exacerbated with increased imports to seek relief from U.S. tariffs," Andri said.
According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data, Indonesia imported 1,949,365 tons of soybeans from the U.S. in 2023. Meanwhile, total soybeans imported that year amounted to 2,274,428 tons.
Previously, Airlangga Hartarto stated that food imports were part of the Indonesian government's offerings in tariff negotiations with the U.S. government. The United States is not the only country importing food products to Indonesia; there are also several other countries, such as Australia and Ukraine. Airlangga said the government would increase food imports from the U.S. by diverting imports from other countries.
In a virtual press conference on Friday, April 18, 2025, Airlangga said importing from the U.S. would not disrupt the self-sufficiency program. The negotiation process between Indonesia and the U.S. is targeted to be completed within the next 60 days.
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