Amran Explains the Phenomenon of Small Rice Mills Being Suppressed by Large Players, Reveals New Dynamics This condition has caused many machines to not operate. Rep: Frederikus Dominggus Bata/ Red: Ahmad Fikri Noor

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman responded to the news of many small rice mills in areas referred to as closures. Amran asserted that the information was not entirely accurate, but rather related to the imbalance between milling capacity and national rice production. “Currently, there are three clusters of milling. Please note, there are 161 thousand small mills, 7,300 medium mills, and 1,065 large mills. Clear, right,” said Amran in a statement in Jakarta, Sunday (17/8/2025). He explained that the milling capacity of small mills reaches 116 million tons per year, while national rice production is only around 65 million tons. This condition causes many mills to remain idle. According to Amran, the phenomenon of small mills closing is not new. “Some wrote yesterday that small factories closed, it has been happening for a long time,” he said. Besides the capacity factor, the harvest season also affects the situation. About 70 percent of ...