Rizal Ramli on Cooking Oil Scarcity: Rationing in a Country Abundant in Palm Oil Resources? Ridiculous!

JAKARTADAILY.ID –Rizal Ramli, a senior economist recently criticized trade minister Muhammad Lutfi’s comments regarding the cooking oil scarcity currently happening in Indonesia, one of the largest producers and exporters of palm oil.

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches for Indonesian Muslims, Muhammad Lutfi made a comment regarding the shortage. 

“I assure you that within the next week, it (the price of cooking oil) will return to normal. At the very latest, by the end of February,” he said as quoted by Antaranews.com

As the largest Muslim nation in the world, Ramadan is very important, as it is a time when Muslim families fast, and feast by the end of the month, during Eid al Fitr. During this time, cooking oil supplies are crucial, due to households cooking more than usual.

Also read: Minister of Trade: Cooking Oil Prices to Return to Normal as Late as End of February

The former chairman of the Indonesia Young Entrepreneur Association said the cause of cooking oil scarcity in the country is due to a disparity between stocks and demand.

Muhammad said that for the month of February alone, Indonesia needs 280 million kiloliters of palm oil and this demand has not been met. But, he still promised that before the end of the month, stocks will return to normal.

Former Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and senior economist Rizal Ramli, had a few things to say about this on Twitter.

Also read: Cooking Oil Price Update for Tuesday, February 15, 2022

"It is getting more ridiculous. Rationing in a country of abundance. This is poor leadership," he said.

Rizal Ramli also slammed the recent controversy about moving the country's capital plan by the government, which he said will "suck" the government's money up to Rp 500 trillion.

Last, but not least, Rizal Ramli posted a news story about housewives waiting in long queues at shops just to get cooking oil. The news clip that Rizal posted showed a crowd scrambling to buy cooking oil, some were required to show their vaccination cards and their family cards.

Also read: Dozens of Samarindan Fall For Rp900 Million of Cheap Cooking Oil Scam

"It has been four months since the cooking oil scarcity started, Coordinating Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Trade Minister M. Lutfi failed to deal with this matter," Rizal Ramli said.