Recently, the issue of synthetic rice has been a very popular issue among Indonesians. This issue of synthetic rice firstly emerged from Dewi Nurizza Septiani (29th), an entrepreneur in Mustikajaya, Bekasi.
She wrote on her Facebook that the rice was different from the previous rice that she bought. It seems to be mixed with plastic substance. She also spread the photos to her Instagram and reported to the radio in Bekasi.
"I have spread the photos to my social media, Facebook and Instagram, and I have also reported it to the radio" she said in her eating house (May 19th, 2015).
It is believed that the synthetic rice is imported from China. According to Korean media, The Weekly Hong Kong, The rice was made of potatoes, yams and plastic and it is free to sell in the market. However, further inquiry should be taken to prove the validity of this news.
To confirm the issue of synthetic rice, Commerce Minister, Rachmat Gobel, stated that there was also a video in social media that illustrated the procedural steps on how to produce synthetic rice. In contrast, after being investigated, it is ,in fact, the procedure of producing plastic pellets.
In an event in Bekasi mayor’s office, Thursday (25/5), the head of Laboratory Testing Sucofindo, Adisam NZ, announced the results of two samples provided by Bekasi Commerce Department. It was discovered that the samples of rice are combined with polyvinyl chloride, a chemical substance commonly contained in plastic products such as cables, pipes pralon (PVC) and so on. The chloride mixture composition is as many as 6.76% of 250 grams after the identification.
Then, Andi Amran Sulaiman, Agriculture Minister, affirmed that the laboratory tests by the police, the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM), Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Agriculture denoted negative results of plastic substances from the rice samples. The samples were taken Laboratory Testing Sucofindo.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the trading of synthetic rice was unprofitable due to the expensive price. The price was approximately Rp.12,000 per kilogram, while the natural rice was Rp.7,300 per kilogram.
This argument was supported by Hasanudin Abdurakhman who led a Japanese company which manufacturesd plastic materials. He assumed that plastic rice was unreasonable in terms of production and economy.
" It will be very expensive because of the expensiveness of the raw material and the demand of high technology. Furthermore, plastic substances cannot be digested and it is easily tasted by the tongue" he said.
Although, the result from the laboratory tests of the police, the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM), Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Agriculture denoted negative results, this issue has remained a massive terror to Indonesians because the result from Laboratory Testing Sucofindo was positive and there has not been further clarification from Sucofindo untill now.
The ministry of agriculture affirmed that his office had conducted daily market check with respect to the issue post-haste.
"We have already checked markets, and the case is now in the hands of the police," he said.
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