Indonesian Ministry of Trade Introduces MINYAKITA to Solve Cooking Oil Scarcity, Sold at Rp 14,000 per Liter

JAKARTADAILY.ID – Indonesia's new trade minister Zulkifli Hasan claimed he has fulfilled his promise to ensure the public can buy cooking oil at an affordable price.

The veteran politician commented on the sidelines of the launching ceremony of MINYAKITA, a new product released by the ministry, which is listed at the country's Ministry of Law and Human Rights with trademark certificate number IDM00203152.

At the event that was held at the trade ministry's office in Jakarta on Wednesday, 7 July 2022, Zulkifli, a senior politician from the National Mandate Party (PAN), said the government plans to distribute MINYAKITA at a maximum retail price of Rp 14,000 per liter ($0.93).

MINYAKITA, trademarked by the trade ministry, offers simple packaging and is said ready to be distributed to modern channels and traditional markets in Java and Bali islands.

"We saw a great enthusiasm from the public, from Micro and Small Medium Enterprises, from the moms, who came to buy Minyakita," Zulkifli, who replaced the previous minister Muhammad Lutfi, said.

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Lutfi was sacked after the country suffered a prolonged cooking oil scarcity at its domestic markets.

On Wednesday, it was Zulkifli himself who participated to distribute Minyakita to the public.

The ministry claimed during the inaugural event, they have successfully distributed 5,000 liters of MINYAKITA cooking oil to people residing nearby the ministry headquarters at Medan Merdeka, Central Jakarta.

"We are trying to solve the cooking oil distribution issues through this simple packaging cooking oil. We hope this product will be distributed well, especially in remote areas," Zulkifli said.

It is not really common that a ministry in Indonesia to own and sell a commodity product, but according to Zulkifli, Minyakita can be used by food producers for up to four years.

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan was distributing Minyakita/Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Trade

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The presence of Minyakita, according to Zulkifli, does not mean the government will eliminate the distribution of bulk-packaging cooking oil, which offers a cheaper price than Minyakita.