Indonesia and China to Investigate Circulation of Synthetic Rice

Beijing (Antara) - The representatives of Indonesian and Chinese Governments, in cooperation with the regional authority, plan to investigate Chinese synthetic rice found circulating in the Indonesian market. \"Has the synthetic rice come from China? It is still uncertain, and therefore, we are waiting for the lab result to further address the matter,\" Indonesian Ambassador to China Soegeng Rahardjo stated here on Friday. The Indonesian Embassy\'s Trade Attaché Dandy Iswara noted that he will meet the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) in connection with the circulation of alleged Chinese synthetic rice in Indonesia. \"Besides this, we will also discuss the efforts to track synthetic rice that has been circulated and exported to Indonesia,\" Dandy emphasized. Based on the data from China\'s Customs Office, China has exported rice to Indonesia worth US$182 million from January to March 2015. The Indonesian Ministry of Trade is still awaiting the results of the laboratory test from the Indonesian Police\'s Criminal Investigation Department and the Indonesian Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM). The test on the synthetic rice sample is still being conducted despite PT Sucofindo\'s announcement that its laboratory test confirmed the presence of plastic substances in the rice sample. According to PT Sucofindo\'s test, the rice contains three types of plasticers: BBP (butyl benzyl phthalate), DEHP (bis 2-ethylhexyl phthalate), and DINP (diisononyl phthalate), which are materials found in pipes, cables, and others.(*)