REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Agricultural observer Khudori saw PT Indo Beras Unggul (IBU) has not made any mistake as accused by the police. However, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) might see it in a different perspective.
He explained, the farmers are allowed to sell grain or rice to private sector. There was no prohibition on that case, even if the farmers were using seeds and subsidized fertilizer in the process of planting.
"The problem is, PT IBU brought the grain from the farmers with the highest price. Therefore, it was hard for competitors to compete. It means there is a problem in terms of similar business competition," he said.
Moreover, there were only four to five companies that have modern plantation facilities as PT IBU. Khudori noted PT IBU as one of subsidiary of PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera processed farmers' unhusked rice into rice using modern machinery.
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"If I'm not mistaken, PT IBU has a large capacity of production and probably KPPU seen it as a matter of business competition," he said.
On Thursday (July 20), Food Task Force of National Police has sealed PT Indo Beras Unggul, a rice milling plant in Kedungwaringin, Bekasi District, West Java, on grounds of committing business fraud. They seized 1,161 tons of rice.
"We will use the consumer law and section 382 of the Criminal Code," National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said.
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