Jakarta, Dec. 24 -- The Indonesian government has emphasized zero tolerance for illegal food imports, warning that such practices undermine the nation's commitment to achieving food self-sufficiency, according to Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman.

"While we are actively increasing national food production, there are still individuals attempting to smuggle rice, onions, and other food commodities. This is intolerable and must be dealt with firmly," he said in a statement on Tuesday (December 23).

Sulaiman made the statement in response to the discovery of 72 tons of illegally imported onions containing quarantined plant pests (OPTK) circulating in East Java.

He urged law enforcement authorities to conduct a thorough investigat...