JAKARTA - The Minister of Trade (Mendag) Muhammad Lutfi emphasized that the government will not revoke the policy of the highest retail price (HET) for cooking oil. However, the policy will be strengthened. This is to ensure that people can get affordable cooking oil prices.
"There is speculation that this HET will be revoked, I emphasize that there are no plans or thoughts to revoke the HET, it will even be enforced," he said when met at the Kebayoran Lama Market, South Jakarta, Wednesday, March 9.
As is known, the Ministry of Trade has set the highest retail price (HET) for cooking oil starting February 1, 2022, namely the price of bulk cooking oil of Rp. 11,500 per liter, the price of simple packaged cooking oil of Rp. 13,500 per liter, and the price of premium packaged cooking oil of Rp. 14. 000 per liter.
Lutfi said that the circulating cooking oil was the result of a domestic market obligation (DMO) policy. Therefore, government oil must be sold under government regulations.
"All cooking oil circulating today is DMO oil. Government oil must be sold according to government regulations, I will take those against it and we will take strict legal action," he explained.
Lutfi said that from his search results at the Kebayoran Lama Market, the availability of cooking oil was confirmed to be sufficient. Because he saw firsthand that the stock was there for both bulk cooking oil and simple and premium packaging.
However, Lutfi admits that the problem now is that traders do not sell at the highest retail price (HET). He regretted this, even though the price offered by the supplier was at Rp. 10,500 per liter.
"The problem today is that none of the kiosks we visited were selling according to the highest retail price (HET) determined by the government," said Lutfi.
Lutfi explained that the suppliers of cooking oil had actually come directly to the traders in the market, and gave a price of Rp. 10,500 for each liter of bulk cooking oil.
Furthermore, Lutfi said with a capital price of Rp. 10,500 per liter of cooking oil obtained by the traders, the price of bulk cooking oil they sold should not be more than Rp. 11,500.
"This supplier comes directly, the oil is sold at a price of Rp. 10,500, and it should not be sold in this (market) for no more than Rp. 11,500 for bulk, and this is a sufficient margin," he said.
To deal with this, Lutfi ensured that his party would coordinate with law enforcement officers and civil servant investigators, to ensure that no one else sells cooking oil above the retail price determined by the government.
"We will coordinate with law enforcement officers and civil servant investigators to ensure that no one sells above HET," he concluded.
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