Jakarta, July 7 -- President Prabowo Subianto has instructed his aides to check the latest surge in the imports of cassava and its derivative products to protect domestic farmers, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Monday.

"We have reached out to the President, and he urged us to protect farmers at all costs," he told the media after a meeting with Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday.

He made the statement in response to domestic markets failing to absorb locally produced cassava and tapioca optimally due to a glut in their imports.

To address the issue, Sulaiman said that he held meetings with several top officials, including Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, and Coordin...