Market Traders Association Says Availability Of Bulk Cooking Oil Doesn't Match Ministry Of Trade Data: HET In Field Translucent Rp20,000 Per Liter Even Though The Rule Is Rp14,000

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Market Traders Association (Ikappi) sees the scarcity of bulk cooking oil and the price is still high above the highest retail price (HET), due to differences in data regarding stock availability between the Ministry of Trade and real conditions.

The HET of bulk cooking oil still penetrated more than Rp. 18,000 to Rp. 20,000 per liter. Whereas in the Minister of Trade Regulation No. 11 of 2022, the HET for bulk cooking oil is set at Rp. 14,000 per liter. This means that the HET policy is not implemented properly in the field.

Head of Ikappi Jakarta Miftahudin said that currently there is still a shortage of bulk cooking oil stocks in various regions. According to him, this shows that the government has not been consistent in policy distribution and has not focused on solving domestic problems.

"And the slow distribution of stock to traditional markets. We see inconsistencies in the Ministry of Trade's statement regarding stock availability," he said in an official statement, Wednesday, April 13.

Miftahudin said that he represented all market traders and hoped that the issue would get the maximum touch from the government. Moreover, considering that cooking oil is one of the important commodities for the community.

"We hope this problem will not become a prolonged conflict," he said.

Ikappi fully supports the efforts of the National Police Chief to be directly involved and thoroughly investigate the scarcity and stability of the price of bulk and packaged cooking oil in the market.

"We support the efforts of the National Police Chief to carry out strict supervision from upstream to downstream, both from producers, oil stocks to distribution channels. And severely punish mafia involvement or violators of the availability of oil that can harm the wider community," he said.

For your information, the Ministry of Trade has canceled to report individuals who play in the cooking oil distribution chain to the authorities. The reason is the lack of evidence.