REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANADO -- Synthetic rice suspected to be made of plastic materials is not in circulation in Indonesia, and people need not worry about it, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said.
"I reiterate that synthetic rice suspected to be made of plastic substances is not in circulation in Indonesia," he emphasized here on Wednesday.
Sulaiman remarked that people should not be afraid to buy rice in the market.
"The laboratory tests of the police, the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM), the Trade Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry showed negative results for plastic substances in the controversial rice samples from Bekasi in West Java," he affirmed.
"No plastic substances were found in rice in Indonesia," he added, urging people to learn a lesson from the incident.
"We should love domestic products and buy the products of local farmers. Let us protect Indonesian products and farmers in this country," he said.
In addition, Head of the BPOM Roy Sparingga noted here on Monday that the results of the tests conducted on samples of suspected "plastic" rice have been submitted to the police.
"We have already submitted the results of the test conducted on the samples to the police for a follow-up, but I cannot reveal them," he stated.
He added that the agency only gave the laboratory test results, not any recommendations.
The tests were carried out to confirm whether the rice samples contained plastic substances as reported, Sparingga pointed out.
People in the country were startled by reports on the discovery of synthetic rice suspected to be made of plastic material and imported from China.
In response to the issue, President Joko Widodo stated recently, "Tests are being carried out by three laboratories, including the Bogor Institute of Agriculture and a general laboratory, to confirm (whether it is true). So let us wait for the results."
During an event on Car-Free Day in Solo, Central Java, on Sunday, he noted that the motive behind the case---wherein synthetic rice was found in a food stall in Bekasi, West Java---was profit, but it was illogical because the price of plastic rice was reported to be higher than that of true rice.
Furthermore, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said that selling plastic rice was not profitable because its price was higher.
"In terms of business, it was not profitable as the plastic rice was priced at Rp12,000 per kilogram, while true rice is Rp7,300 per kilogram," he explained in his office on Monday.
Perhaps there was another agenda behind the circulation of the synthetic rice besides profit, he remarked, adding that he did not know what this other motive could be.
In addition, the minister affirmed that his office had checked markets in connection with the issue and hoped that it is settled posthaste.
"We have already checked markets, and the case is now in the hands of the police," he said.
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