Deputy Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Rachmat Gobel Denies Trade Minister: There Is No Cooking Oil Mafia

ILLUSTRATION VIA BETWEEN

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairperson of the DPR, Coordinator for Industry and Development (Korinbang) Rachmat Gobel, said there was no cooking oil mafia.

"In the food sector there is indeed a mafia in a number of commodities, but not in cooking oil," said Rachmat Gobel in a written statement quoted by Antara, Tuesday, March 22.

According to him, there is an inaccuracy in the regulations so that entrepreneurs look for loopholes to seek profit.

"So this is a matter of regulation in the trade system and the approach in managing the cooking oil trade system," he said.

Rachmat Gobel said the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) should have a strategy in dealing with price fluctuations due to increasing global market demand for crude palm oil or CPO and cooking oil, considering that Indonesia is the largest producer of CPO in the world. The question of cooking oil is only a downstream problem and not an upstream problem.

Rachmat Gobel also reminded ministers related to food to translate into President Joko Widodo's policy and program concepts related to Trisakti and Nawacita, which mandated economic independence and food independence.

"That's very good. Ministers must be able to translate the President's visions and missions into programs and policies. Our time as an agrarian country can't just fill our domestic needs," said the former Trade Minister.

Therefore, Rachmat Gobel reminded the government to involve entrepreneurs to take responsibility for maintaining food security and not be left to market mechanisms.

"For strategic and basic matters, such as food, entrepreneurs should not only be seen from the aspect of the amount of investment invested and the number of workers absorbed, but must also be invited to build the nation," said the former Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Rachmat Gobel said that the food problem is strategic and if it is not controlled it can become political. Therefore, he continued, the food problem cannot be solved by the Ministry of Trade alone.

"Many ministries and other institutions are involved, such as the ministry of agriculture, the ministry of industry, the ministry of ESDM, and so on," said Rachmat Gobel.