Agrinas Chief Backs Down, Says Will Follow Government on India Pickup Imports

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara Chief Executive Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota said the company will comply with any government decision to delay the planned import of 105,000 pickup trucks from India for the Red and White Village Cooperatives program, he said on Monday, Feb 23, 2026 in Jakarta. The shift in tone came after mounting political and industry pressure over the Rp 24.66 trillion, equal to $1.54 billion, procurement plan.

"We will follow it, we will comply. Whatever the decision is. Our focus is simply to work for the country and the people," Joao said when contacted by reporters.

The statement marked a softer stance from the state appointed executor of the cooperative program, which had previously defended the imports as a matter of efficiency. Joao said earlier the Indian vehicles were cheaper, easier to maintain and more suitable for field conditions than locally produced alternatives.

"I have no other agenda. This is purely about efficiency. The goods are cheaper, maintenance is simpler, the vehicles are durable, that is all," he told Investortrust.id.

The import plan drew swift intervention from Deputy Speaker of the House Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who urged the government to postpone the purchase until President Prabowo Subianto returns from an overseas visit and reviews the matter. The episode quickly evolved into a broader debate over industrial policy and national self sufficiency.

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said domestic manufacturers were capable of producing pickup trucks at scale and that relying on imports would shift economic value and job creation abroad.

"If all pickup needs are met through imports, the added value and job absorption will be enjoyed by industries overseas. However, if those needs are fulfilled by domestic industry, then economic benefits, job creation and national industrial strengthening will also be felt at home," Agus said in a written statement.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, known as Kadin Indonesia and the country’s largest business lobby, praised Dasco’s intervention and warned that completely built up imports could weaken the national automotive ecosystem.

"We highly appreciate Mas Dasco’s swift response. Imagine if 105,000 vehicles used by the cooperatives were imported products, what would happen to after sales service and spare parts availability?" said Saleh Husin, Deputy Chairman for Industry Affairs. "Such a policy could turn imported vehicles into scrap after several years due to parts shortages."

Kadin argued that the automotive sector carries deep backward and forward linkages, from tire and battery makers to metal, plastic and electronics suppliers. Importing fully assembled vehicles, it said, risks undercutting an industrial base that the government has repeatedly pledged to strengthen under its downstreaming and industrialization drive.

Agrinas was appointed through Presidential Instruction No. 17 of 2025 to oversee the physical rollout of the cooperative program, a flagship initiative aimed at revitalizing rural economies. As political scrutiny intensifies, Joao’s conciliatory tone suggests the final decision will rest squarely with the palace.