Traders Must Know, Selling Bundling Cooking Oil Is A Loss For Consumers, The Criminal Threat Is Heavy!

Meeting between Disperindag, KPPU, distributors, and the Food Task Force regarding the practice of selling bulk cooking oil (Photo: ANTARA)

SOLO - The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) highlighted the system for selling bulk cooking oil bundling implemented by a number of distributors in Solo. This is clearly detrimental to society.

The Head of KPPU's Advocacy Studies Division of Regional Office VII Yogyakarta, Sinta Hapsari, said that the Surakarta City Government's move to bring together distributors, traders and retailers was highly appreciated.

"Here, we also provide education so that there are no more conditional sales," he said on the sidelines of a meeting with the Trade Office, distributors and traders in Solo, Antara, Friday, April 1.

He said that for anyone who violates the rules contained in Law Number 5 of 1999 concerning the Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices and Unfair Business Competition, the sanctions will be in the form of a fine of Rp. 1 billion or 10 percent of total sales during the period of violation or 50 percent of net profits.

"If this sanction (the incident in Solo) is not, this is just an anticipatory measure, prevention. There is already good faith, namely a change in behavior. The Surakarta City Government has warned that there is no need for law enforcement because it is very burdensome," he said.

Meanwhile, he said, in fact, purchases by package or bundling are still allowed. Usually the sales system as a form of promotion carried out by the company.

"Bundling is two products that are attached, but if you are required to buy product A then you have to buy product B then it is prohibited. So far this practice is widespread not only in Solo but also in Jogja, Sulawesi, Kalimantan. Nationally, it is widely found, so we education, especially traders or business actors, so that they do not make conditional sales," he said.

On the same occasion, one of CV Santosa's distributor representatives, Adi Sarono, rejected the practice of selling conditionally to consumers.

"Actually, it's an appeal. So it's not mandatory, but maybe consumers have misinterpreted it," he said.

Previously, there was a conditional practice of selling bulk cooking oil at one of the basic food distributors in the Legi Market area. One of Sayekti's consumers said that the purchase conditions that must be met are that consumers are required to buy other goods.

"The important thing is to buy something else, for example, if I can buy 17 kg of cooking oil, it must be the same as two sacks of wheat which weighs 50 kg," he said.

In addition to being packaged with wheat flour, he said, consumers can choose other items such as granulated sugar with a weight of 50 kg. In fact, according to him, the price of the goods that must be redeemed is actually more expensive than the price of cooking oil itself.

"So the capital must be large, I will do this by preparing a minimum of IDR 1.5 million, that can buy three packages," said the small trader from Sawahan Village, Ngemplak District, Solo.