Kompas.com – The price of cooking oil continues to soar above the highest retail price (HET), although production does not experience a reduction.
Trade Minister Budi Santoso revealed, his party ensured that oil production from producers remained according to the rules and did not decrease
He continued, one of the main causes of this price increase was the act of naughty distributors who raised prices before oil reached retailers.
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Case of naughty distributor of oil in tangerang
One concrete example of the existence of a naughty distributor of Lasita occurred in Rajeg, Tangerang Regency, when the Ministry of Trade (Ministry of Trade) sealed a second level distributor (D2), PT NNI, on Friday, January 24, 2025.
PT NNI is known to sell cooking oil for Rp. 15,500 per liter, even though according to the price rules which should be only Rp. 14,500 per liter.
“This price is not appropriate. This is one indication of the cause of the price of oil is still rising, “Budi said, quoted from Kompas.com (24/1/2025).
He continued, price increases at the distributor level were the main causes of high prices in the market.
“We suspect that in other places also something similar happens,” Budi added.
At present, the national average price of national oil reaches Rp 17,000 per liter, far higher than the HET set at Rp 15,700 per liter.
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To overcome this problem, the Ministry of Trade starts action against naughty distributors in the Banten region and will continue operations to West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, as well as other regions in Eastern Indonesia whose oil prices are still high.
Long oil distribution chain
In addition to the act of naughty distributors, the length of the distribution chain is also a factor causing the high price of oil.
Budi explained that the ideal distribution was only through producers, level one distributor (D1), second level distributor (D2), and retailers.
Oil Illustration, Oil Price. Oil is a government bulk cooking oil brand that is safe from an increase in 12 percent VAT next year.
However, in the field, there were additional transactions between references that extend the distribution chain.
This condition violates the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 18 of 2024, which aims to maintain the simplicity of the distribution chain and stability of cooking oil prices on the market.
Government steps to normalize the price of oil
To normalize the price of oil, the Ministry of Trade has taken various steps, including cracking down on distributors who violate the rules.
In addition, surveillance operations will continue to be expanded to various regions in Indonesia to ensure the price of cooking oil remains affordable for the community.
Also read: Criteria for Cooking Oil that can be sold to Pertamina
With this effort, the government hopes that the issue of oil prices that exceeds HET can be resolved soon, so that people can enjoy quality cooking oil at a reasonable price.
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