POULTRYINDONESIA, Jakarta – The government’s policy to shift imports of soybean meal (SBM) from the private sector to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) starting in 2026 has drawn mixed responses from national poultry industry players. Beginning next year, SBM imports will be handled by an SOE, PT Berdikari, with a target of approximately ±5 million tons to meet the needs of feed mills and independent farmers. This volume will be evaluated periodically based on actual needs in the field.

Based on information obtained by Poultry Indonesia, going forward, business actors requiring SBM must coordinate directly with PT Berdikari to obtain supplies. To avoid disruptions during the transition period, the government is still providing a transition window, during which business actors are allowed to continue importing SBM directly until March 31, 2026. Import volumes during this period will refer to the import plans that have been submitted or coordinated with PT Berdikari up to January 8, 2026.

Meanwhile, for business actors who still have additional needs not yet included in those plans, the government has opened an opportunity to request additional volumes. Such requests must be submitted to the Directorate of Feed no later than January 14, 2026.

The Daily Chair of the National Chicken Farmers Organization Guard (GOPAN), Setya Winarno, expressed farmers’ concerns that the policy of shifting SBM imports could potentially trigger higher economic costs. Previously, private feed mills could import directly. However, once the policy changes to a single-entry system through PT Berdikari—which is also a profit-oriented enterprise—there are concerns that SBM prices will increase. This condition could ultimately push up feed prices at the farm level, while poultry feed prices in Indonesia are already considered high compared to other countries.

“Almost all GOPAN member farmers, both broiler and layer, are currently highly dependent on manufactured feed. Even if the government urges or prohibits feed mills from raising prices, the question is how long such a policy can last. What we are most worried about is the impact on rising feed prices, because feed costs are the largest component in the poultry production cost structure and greatly affect the cost of production (HPP),” explained Setya Winarno during a discussion with Poultry Indonesia in Bogor, Thursday (January 8, 2026).

He added that this issue must also be linked to the government’s aspiration to provide affordable food for the public. “If the prices of our products rise, what will be the role of the food task force going forward? And what about the impact on inflation? These matters also need to be considered and noted collectively,” he added.

Meanwhile, after attending a coordination meeting with the government, companies, and associations in Jakarta on Friday (January 9, 2026), Yesi Yuni Astuti—a layer farmer from Blitar and Chair of the East Java Livestock Cluster Cooperative Center—stated that her side supports the government’s efforts to maintain supply and price stability, provided that the policy is accompanied by clear and fair protection for small-scale farmers. Small farmers cannot purchase under large contracts due to limited daily cash flow, so the state must be present to protect this group. Therefore, she said, special quota allocations are needed for small farmers through associations and cooperatives for all strategic feed raw materials, including corn, SBM, and other feed ingredients.

“We also appreciate the plan to implement maximum retail prices (HET) for several feed raw materials. However, we ask that the government’s reference prices apply down to the farm-gate level, where distribution cost differences are controlled so as not to burden small farmers. Here we are not asking for additional subsidies. We are only requesting that the government provide certainty of access, fair prices, and guaranteed quality for these small farmers,” she added.

Furthermore, she highlighted that since mid-December, small farmers among her members have already been struggling to obtain SBM. In the field, the product (SBM) exists, but distribution is limited to priority customers only. In addition, prices have already surged and purchase restrictions have been imposed—for example, buying 3 tons but being given only 1 ton.

In response to this phenomenon, in addition to setting a three-month transition period, during the coordination meeting the government asked business actors (traders) to commit to maintaining the stability of soybean meal supply and prices (not hoarding goods). If there is evidence that traders do not uphold this commitment, import recommendations will not be issued.

The President of the National Layer Farmers (PLN), Ki Musbar Mesdi, expressed appreciation for the implementation of the transition period. Based on the aspirations of small layer farmers, he hopes the government can introduce an SBM SPHP (Food Supply and Price Stabilization) scheme.

“We hope there will be a special SBM quota for small farmers. Distribution must be based on clear data—starting from addresses and livestock population to farmer identities—so that it is well-targeted and does not waste the state budget,” he concluded.

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