Cooking Oil Distribution Disrupted Due to Speculators, Says Indonesian Ministry of Trade

JAKARTADAILY.ID - The Director-General of Domestic Trade of the Ministry of Trade, Oke Nurwan, has ensured that cooking oil is now available. However, the current problem is in the cooking oil distribution chain because many speculators are involved.

Oke Nurwan said so during a working visit on behalf of Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi at the Cibonong Market, Bogor Regency, Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

"There is presently a problem in the distribution chain. The [cooking] oil has been made available [by the government]. [However], [there is a] disruption in distribution [because] there are too many speculators," he said.

During the same occasion, Oke also mentioned the cooking oil mafia. According to him, his side has pocketed several proofs in relation to the cooking oil mafia. Unfortunately, when they were handed over to the law enforcement, the evidence was still considered insufficient.

However, he said that at this time, the prosecutor's office and the police have started to move because there have found applicable legal loopholes that allow them to take action.

"At the time of the findings in the field, the Ministry of Trade had sufficient evidence, but law enforcement cannot move arbitrarily," he said.

Oke said that the government is completely against the practice of cooking oil cartels.

Even if an investigation into the alleged cooking oil cartel is currently underway at the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU), it does not necessarily indicate the existence of such a practice because there is still a judicial process that must be passed.

Regardless, his team continues to wait for the ongoing investigation at KPPU.

"If it is proven [that the problem is caused] by the cartel, [know that] the government does not support unfair business competition — we must guarantee that the competition is healthy," he said.

The article was translated from Pikiran-Rakyat.com's article titled "Banyak Pemain Terlibat, Kemendag Sebut Distribusi Minyak Goreng Terganggu".

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