Jokowi Speaks Firmly: I Ask For Palm Oil Industry Awareness To Prioritize Domestic People's Needs

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked the palm oil industry to prioritize domestic needs. Moreover, the problem of the scarcity and high price of cooking oil in the country has been going on for several months. "I ask for the awareness of the palm oil industry to meet domestic needs, prioritize domestic first, fulfill people's needs first. can easily be fulfilled," he said in a virtual press conference, Wednesday, April 27. Jokowi said the volume of raw material for cooking oil produced and exported was much larger than domestic demand. According to him, if all of us have the intention to fulfill domestic needs, it is very possible to fulfill them. "There is still a very large capacity remaining if we are all willing and have the intention to fulfill the people's priority so that domestic needs can easily be met," he said.

Jokowi emphasized that for the government the basic needs of the people are the main thing. According to him, this is the highest priority in the government's consideration when making decisions.

Jokowi explained that this was also the basis for the ban on the export of cooking oil and cooking oil raw materials. The prohibition applies to exports from all parts of Indonesia, including from bonded zones.

Therefore, Jokowi asked palm oil business actors to look at this problem better and more clearly. Moreover, this problem has occurred for the last four months.

"As the largest palm oil producing country in the world, it is ironic that we even have difficulty getting cooking oil," he said.

Jokowi acknowledged that the policy of banning the export of raw materials for cooking oil and cooking oil had a negative impact. However, the purpose of this decision is to meet the needs of the community.

"This prohibition does have a negative impact, it has the potential to reduce the potential for unabsorbed farmers' crop yields. However, the purpose of this policy is to increase domestic supply so that the supply is abundant," he said.

According to Jokowi, the fulfillment of domestic supply has become his benchmark for evaluating the policy of banning the export of cooking oil and cooking oil raw materials.

"Once domestic needs are met, of course I will lift the export ban, because I know the country needs taxes, the country needs foreign exchange, the country needs a trade balance surplus. But meeting the people's basic needs is a more important priority," he stressed.

For your information, the government has decided to ban the export of raw materials for cooking oil and cooking oil abroad. This policy will take effect from tomorrow, Thursday, April 28, 2022.