The Distribution Of BLT For Cooking Oil Cannot Be Equal, Observer: The Price Disparity In Java And Outside Java Is Too Wide

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - An economic observer and Director of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bhima Yudhistira highlighted the provision of direct cash assistance (BLT) for cooking oil worth Rp100 thousand for three months. According to Bhima, the BLT is not enough, especially since the disparity in cooking oil prices in Java and outside Java is too wide.

For example, said Bhima, money of IDR 100.000 per month outside Java, such as in Southeast Sulawesi, can only buy 2 liters of packaged cooking oil.

"Even if you are told to buy bulk, queues and supplies are limited. The BLT cannot be beaten on average per family to get Rp. 100 thousand because the price disparities are different," he told VOI, quoted Thursday, April 7.

Furthermore, Bhima said that by giving BLT cooking oil, it did not mean that the problem of rising cooking oil could be solved. He likens giving BLT to paracetamol. Where the effect only relieves not solves the problem.

"Like paracetamol, it only reduces fever, but the main cause of rising cooking oil prices has yet to be solved," he said.

According to Bhima, ideally, on the one hand, the government should solve the problem of managing packaged and bulk cooking oil.

"If you give BLT without catching the cooking oil mafia who causes scarcity, it's just useless," he said.

In addition, Bhima said that giving BLT cooking oil also needs to pay attention to the accuracy of the recipient's data. According to Bhima, there may be no problem for PKH, because the data is getting better and synchronized with DTKS.

"But for fried food traders, this data collection is very important because it is feared that there will be duplication of recipient data so that it is not right on target," he said.

For example, said Bhima, a fried food vendor with the same owner received twice the BLT allotment. Meanwhile, those who use cooking oil are not only fried food traders, the affected small food and beverage industry must also be considered by the government.

"Most of the micro-businesses are in the food and beverage sector. Can the government cover everything? The problem is that most of the street vendors don't have a business license registered with the government," he explained.

As is known, the cooking oil BLT that will be distributed by the Government is IDR 100.000 per month per Beneficiary Family (KPM). BLT will be given in April, May, and June 2022. However, the payment will be made at once to IDR 300 thousand in April 2022.

The BLT for cooking oil was given to 23 million people. In detail, 20.5 million families are included in the list of recipients of Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) and the Family Hope Program (PKH), as well as 2.5 million street vendors (PKL).