REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman is pushing for tighter import bans and restrictions to protect the national sugar industry. This policy is considered urgent amid market anomalies when domestic production is difficult to absorb despite the supply still being insufficient. Amran assessed that the sugar issue is not only about production deficits but also about weak trade practices that open up loopholes for refined sugar to enter the consumer market. This condition is causing sugar and molasses from farmers to be suppressed amid high national demand. "Going forward, we must fight for this, because this is happening not just with sugar, Ma'am. It happened with milk, then it happened with soybeans," said the Minister of Agriculture during a hearing with Commission VI of the House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday (8/4/2026). The current national sugar demand reaches 6.7 million tons, consisting of 3.9 ...