August 11, 2025 | 07:59 pm
TEMPO.Co, Jakarta - The CEO of Indonesia's PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Persero), Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota, has resigned from his position. He made this decision because he felt he had failed to achieve food security.
"I feel ashamed and very responsible for what has happened over the past six months," Joao said at his office in Jakarta on Monday, August 11, 2025.
Who is Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota?
According to the PT Yodya Karya (Persero) website, now known as Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota is a professional with expertise in construction, agriculture, animal husbandry, and the creative industry.
He was appointed as CEO through the Decree of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Number 32/MBU/02/2025 dated February 10, 2025.
Since joining Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo has been involved in several important company events. For instance, he was present during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gadjah Mada University (UGM) for the procurement of Gamagora 7 rice seed varieties on Wednesday, May 14.
He also attended the signing of a cooperation agreement between Agrinas Pangan Nusantara and the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) at the Army Headquarters (Mabes) TNI AD in Jakarta on Friday, July 4, 2025. This partnership aims to help the TNI AD accelerate the development of agricultural land in various regions throughout Indonesia.
Additionally, Joao Angelo took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Baturaja Food Production Center (KSPP) in Ogan Komering Ulu Regency, South Sumatra, last July.
The KSPP Baturaja project utilizes 12,000 hectares of state-owned land to support President Prabowo Subianto’s Astacita program, which focuses on building national food sovereignty.
Furthermore, Joao Angelo received the Middle Defense Dharma award from Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) in Jakarta on Tuesday, February 11. This award was given in recognition of his services and dedication in the field of defense.
According to catalogue.nla.gov.au, Joao Angelo was once a pro-integration activist from Bumi Lorosae. Alongside Octavio Soares, he campaigned in Oslo, Norway, advocating for the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.
Reasons for Resignation
Joao Angelo explained that his decision to resign stemmed from his grand vision to maintain Indonesia’s food security. However, he believed that the National Asset Investment Management Agency (BPI Danantara) had not effectively supported this vision.
"Danantara was appointed by President Prabowo Subianto as a new agency to identify business and investment opportunities. However, we have seen that Danantara has not understood the crisis we face or recognized that our food situation is critical," Joao Angelo said.
He stressed the importance of achieving food self-sufficiency and maintaining food security to ensure the nation's sustainability. Despite this, he observed insufficient government intervention, particularly from Danantara, which manages state-owned enterprises alongside the Ministry of SOEs.
Joao Angelo also expressed hope that the government would support farmers to increase their productivity. Unfortunately, he felt the government had not done enough to reach this goal, leading to the continued rise of food commodity prices such as rice in the market.
"I was very eager to contribute and to help build the farming community and our agriculture. However, we were not supported by presidential aides, who created a bureaucratic process so complicated it became nearly impossible for us to succeed," Joao Angelo said.
Alif Ilham Fajriadi contributed to the writing this article.
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