Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan, also known as Zulhas, expressed concerns over the increasing volume of food imports in Indonesia. He cited examples such as wheat imports, which have risen from 2-3 million tons per year in 2004 to 13 million tons per year. Similarly, the import of refined sugar has increased from 1-2 million tons per year to 5 million tons per year.
Furthermore, imports of commodities like garlic and fruits, such as longan and oranges, have also seen significant growth. The import of garlic has surged from 25,000-30,000 tons in 2004 to nearly 600,000 tons annually, while fruit imports have risen from around 50,000 tons to almost 1 million tons.
Minister Zulkifli Hasan expressed his discomfort with high food imports and emphasized the government's efforts to reduce them, highlighting the need to address the growing reliance on imported food commodities in Indonesia.
