Badanas Collaborates With Food Task Force To Order Oil Prices: Must Be IDR 15,700 Per Liter

JAKARTA - Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that his party was collaborating with the Food Task Force to curb the sale of Oil cooking oil sold above the highest retail price (HET) set by the government.

Arief was met after the Limited Coordination Meeting (Rakortas) with the Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman and other stakeholders in Jakarta, Monday, February 17, said that currently the government has set the HET of Oilita, which is Rp. 15,700 per liter.

However, he continued, the average national Oilita price sold ranges from Rp. 17,000 to Rp. 18,000 per liter.

For this condition, Arief admitted that he immediately coordinated with the Food Task Force to regulate the price of cooking oil for the Minita brand, so that it could match the HET of IDR 15,700 per liter.

"Minyakita harus Rp15,700 per liter. Jadi tidak boleh dibiasakan harga di atas HET. Jadi, ini kita berkoordinasi tentunya sama teman-teman di Satgas Pangan. Ini akan membantu menertibkan kembali. Jadi, kalau sudah ditentukan Rp15,700 per liter, ya harusnya sesuai dengan label Rp15,700 per liter," tegas Arief, dikutip Antara.

He emphasized that this had become a government requirement formulated by the Minister of Trade Budi Santoso with entrepreneurs and distributors.

"So if it has been determined, then so. It's different if, for example, in a coordination meeting or in a related institution's decision, it is stated that there is a shipping fee and others, the price can be zoning (zoned per region)," he said.

Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman asked entrepreneurs to comply with the provisions of the highest retail price (HET) of cooking oil set by the government.

"Today's important decision is that the price of HET cooking oil is IDR 15,700 per liter. To my brother, my friend, all entrepreneurs, please obey the HET determined by the government," said the Minister of Agriculture.

Amran admitted that his party had carried out monitoring and it was found that there was still an increase in food prices in the market, one of which was cooking oil.

He admitted that he had also coordinated with the Food Task Force to monitor and oversee so that the price of cooking oil could match the HET to the villages.

Meanwhile, one of the traders at Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, Muhammad Mansyur, said that the price of Minita cooking oil experienced a significant increase, reaching a price of Rp. 18 thousand per liter.

Meanwhile, the price of other packaged cooking oil, such as Sunco and Tropical, has also increased quite high.

"For other cooking oil products, the increase is also quite high, such as Sunco, Tropical. We sell it for IDR 40 thousand per two liters. From the cost of taking IDR 38,000. Normally IDR 38,000 per two liters, but now it is IDR 40,000 per two liters," said Mansyur.

He said buyers tend to choose Minyakita cooking oil because the price is cheaper than other products.

"We shop from distributors or factories but the price is not that much, more than the price is packaged, the traders get it. So we can't help but sell it either. It's also called selling, looking for profit. Only if we make thin oil," he said.

Mansyur also admitted that he took Oilita from an average distributor of more than Rp. 15,700 per liter. He is also quite difficult to get cooking oil stock since a week ago.

"So far, there is a shortage of stocks. It's a bit difficult to find, from the distributor side there have also been some that have been empty since last week. The products are scarce, like it or not, we don't want to shop, there is such a price because it is also a basic need for the community, so we can't help but take it," said Mansyur.