The Story Of A Grocery Food Merchant Complains That Oil Prices Have Doubled: Frying Workers Have Holidays, Don't Trade

Zahra, a food seller at the market, complains that the price of oil has doubled/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - Zahra (52), one of the food stall traders at Kramat Jati Market, East Jakarta, complained about the decline in the turnover of buying cooking oil due to the drastic increase in oil prices.

"Earlier this oil (pointed to 1.8 liters of oil sachets) before it went up, it didn't reach 30 thousand, it was around 28 thousand. I'm selling 37 thousand now," he told reporters at the location, Friday, December 10.

Cooking oil being sold is still piling up due to lack of buyers/ Photo: IST

According to him, the increase in oil prices has been since the last one month. In addition to the increase in the price of packaged oil, the price of bulk cooking oil, which was previously priced at Rp. 14 thousand per kilogram, has now increased to Rp. 20 thousand.

"The practice is decreasing, maybe because it's expensive. Usually the fried cooks who subscribe to it use oil, neither does it. They say it's a day off, there's no point in selling fried foods right now. The oil is really high, the increase is double," he said when met journalist.

In addition to the increase in oil prices, the price of basic necessities also tends to increase following the price of cooking oil.

Cooking oil being sold is still piling up due to lack of buyers/ Photo: IST

According to Zahra, the increase in cooking oil prices reached Rp. 37 thousand due to the increase in taxes. Then the (supply) of palm oil is reduced.

"The decline in the turnover of cooking oil sales reached 30 percent. (buyers) decreased. Usually fry cooks buy a lot of oil, now they don't have it. They say there is no profit," he said.