Dwi Andreas Santosa, an expert for the Petitioners in Case No. 203/PUU-XXIII/2025 on the judicial review of Law No. 6 of 2023 on Job Creation, testifying before the Court, Tuesday (4/7/2026). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.
JAKARTA (MKRI) — On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the Petitioners of Case No. 203/PUU-XXIII/2025 presented Institut Pertanian Bogor University professor and chairman of the Association of Indonesian Seed Banks and Agricultural Technology (AB2TI) Dwi Andreas Santosa as an expert witness for the material judicial review of Law No. 6 of 2023 on the Stipulation of the Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 of 2022 on Job Creation. Dwi stated that the increasing volume of food imports has led to a growing dependence of Indonesia on imported agricultural commodities year by year.
“This dependency makes Indonesia increasingly vulnerable to global food price fluctuations, so that when a food crisis occurs, the impact is immediately felt in Indonesia,” he explained before the constitutional justices.
Dwi noted that Indonesia began opening its market widely to imports of agricultural food commodities when the Government signed a letter of intent with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on January 15, 1998. Imports of food and agricultural commodities then began to rise significantly in the 2000s.
Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and the Agricultural Data and Information Center (Pusdatin) of the Ministry of Agriculture, the import volume of 12 main commodities—each exceeding 100,000 tons—has increased sharply. These include rice, corn, wheat, soybeans, cane sugar, cassava, garlic, peanuts, beef, potatoes, onions, and milk. The increase became particularly significant starting in 2008, rising from 8.3 million tons and peaking at 34.4 million tons in 2024.
He also observed that rising imports of agricultural food commodities have contributed to a growing trade deficit in the sector. In value terms, imports increased from USD 2.47 billion in 2001 to a record USD 19.63 billion in 2024. As a result, the trade balance deficit in the non-plantation agricultural sector widened from USD -1.83 billion to USD -17.11 billion, before narrowing slightly to USD -13.79 billion in 2025.
Dwi emphasized that wheat constitutes the largest share of imports, reflecting a shift in Indonesia’s consumption patterns. Wheat has now become the second staple food after rice, accounting for approximately 28 percent of total staple food consumption. While rice remains the primary staple, Indonesia continues to import rice—both general and specialty types—depending on domestic production levels. The highest rice imports in Indonesia’s history occurred in 1998, reaching 6.4 million tons.
At present, Dwi explained, Indonesia’s dependence on imported key agricultural commodities remains significant: wheat (100 percent), garlic (100 percent), soybeans (97 percent), milk (82 percent), sugar (70 percent), beef/buffalo meat (5 percent), corn (10 percent), and rice (1.3–15 percent). In 2025 alone, Indonesia imported 11.76 million tons of wheat, 8.61 million tons of soybeans, 3.93 million tons of cane sugar, 982 thousand tons of corn, 542 thousand tons of garlic, 454 thousand tons of rice, 349 thousand tons of milk and cream, 306 thousand tons of peanuts, 234 thousand tons of beef, 226 thousand tons of potatoes, 197 thousand tons of cassava, 104 thousand tons of onions, 103 thousand tons of mung beans, and various other commodities in smaller quantities.
Impact of Food Imports on Small Farmers
Dwi further explained that Indonesia had previously achieved self-sufficiency in several key commodities that are now heavily imported, including soybeans (until 1982), corn (until 1989), sugar (until 1994), and garlic (until 1996).
According to him, the opening of import channels for agricultural commodities in the early 2000s undermined the ability of domestic farmers to produce these commodities. For example, imported soybeans from the United States were priced at Rp1,500 per kilogram in 2000, while domestic production costs reached Rp2,500 per kilogram. This price disparity made it impossible for local farmers to compete, forcing many to switch to other crops or leave farming altogether, thereby increasing dependence on soybean imports.
Currently, the international price of soybeans delivered to Indonesian ports (CIF) is around Rp6,900 per kilogram, while domestic production costs range between Rp10,000 and Rp13,000 per kilogram. Similar conditions apply to other imported agricultural commodities. He further stated that farmers’ welfare has continued to decline, as indicated by a sharp increase in the number of smallholder farmers with landholdings of less than 1,000 square meters, alongside a decrease in the number of farming households with larger landholdings (2,000–9,999 square meters).
“The decline in farmers’ welfare is clearly reflected in the decreasing number of agricultural households across all subsectors over the past 10 years (Agricultural Census 2023, BPS),” Dwi noted.
He added that food imports have made farmers of key commodities increasingly unable to compete with imported products, leading many to switch commodities or abandon agriculture as their primary livelihood. The overall result has been a decline in farmers’ welfare, as evidenced by the growing number of farmers with very small landholdings, the reduction in those controlling larger plots, and the overall decline in agricultural households across all subsectors over the past decade.
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The Petitioners of this case are Indonesian farmer associations Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI), Perkumpulan Jaringan Masyarakat Tani Indonesia (JAMTANI), Aliansi Petani Indonesia (API), and Aliansi Organis Indonesia; village development foundation Bina Desa; Indonesians coalitions for food sovereignty Koalisi Rakyat untuk Kedaulatan Pangan and for fisheries justice Koalisi Rakyat Untuk Keadilan Perikanan (KIARA); palm oil farmers union Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS); palm oil watchdog Sawit Watch; and CSO for the right to food and nutrition FIAN Indonesia. They go by the Advocacy Team Against Omnibus Law. The case concerns the constitutionality of Article 30 paragraph (1) in Article 32 point 2, Article 14 paragraph (1) letter c in Article 62 point 2, Article 31 paragraph (2), and Article 44 paragraph (2) in Article 124 point 1 of the Appendix to Law No. 6 of 2023 on the Stipulation of the Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 of 2022 on Job Creation.
They argued that the provisions regarding the importation of agricultural and food commodities in the challenged articles fail to take into account domestic agricultural production and government food reserves. The regulation of consumption needs and/or government food reserves sourced from domestic production is no longer prioritized, resulting in the absence of protection and legal certainty guarantees for farmers. The Petitioners argued that the challenged provisions place the importation of agricultural and food commodities as one of the priority sources of food supply, thereby failing to prioritize domestic production that optimally utilizes local resources and wisdom.
They believe that making agricultural and food imports a priority equivalent to domestic production and national food reserves effectively replaces the state’s control over food sources with free trade instruments. In their view, as part of the sectors of production affecting the livelihood of the people and as part of the land, water, and natural resources contained therein, food should remain under state control to serve the objective of the greatest prosperity of the people.
In addition, the Petitioners have also revised their petitums. They now request the Court to declare Article 19 paragraph (2) insofar as the phrase “and/or national strategic projects” in Article 31 point 1 of the Appendix to the Job Creation Law unconstitutional and not legally binding if it is not interpreted to mean “In the case of public interest, Agricultural Cultivation Land as referred to in paragraph (1) may be converted and implemented in accordance with the provisions of legislation;” to declare Article 30 paragraph (1) insofar as the phrase “Importation of Agricultural Commodities” in Paragraph 3 Article 32 point 2 of the Appendix to the Job Creation Law unconstitutional and not legally binding if it is not interpreted to mean “Importation of Agricultural Commodities may only be carried out when domestic agricultural production and government food reserves are insufficient;” to declare Article 14 paragraph (1) letter c of Paragraph 11 Article 62 point 2 of the Appendix to the Job Creation Law unconstitutional and not legally binding; to declare Article 36 in Article 64 point 4 of the Appendix to the Job Creation Law unconstitutional and not legally binding if it is not interpreted to mean “Importation of Food may only be carried out when Domestic Food Production and National Food Reserves are insufficient;” and to declare Article 44 paragraph (2) insofar as the phrase “and/or national strategic projects” in Article 124 point 1 of the Appendix to the Job Creation Law unconstitutional and not legally binding unless interpreted to mean “In the public interest, Sustainable Agricultural Cultivation Land as referred to in paragraph (1) may be converted and implemented in accordance with the provisions of legislation.”
Explore Case No. 203/PUU-XXIII/2025 (in Indonesian).
Author : Mimi Kartika Sari
Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR : Raisa Ayuditha M.
Translator : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)
Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.
Tuesday, April 07, 2026 | 14:07 WIB 205