The government has confirmed that the state-branded cooking oil,\nMinyakita, will no longer be included in food assistance programmes.\nThis decision follows a government evaluation of Minyakita\u2019s\ndistribution, which recently faced supply disruptions and price\nincreases in several regions.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas),\nrevealed that one of the primary reasons for the reduced stock of\nMinyakita in the market was its previous inclusion in government food\nassistance programmes. According to Zulhas, this situation triggered\ncomplaints from various regions, particularly those far from\ndistribution centres, regarding the difficulty of obtaining Minyakita at\nthe regulated price.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a slight increase in Minyakita prices in several remote\nareas; many people reported to us that there was a shortage,\u201d said\nZulhas during a limited coordination meeting on food commodity price\ndevelopments at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Office, Jakarta, on\nTuesday (9\/6\/2026).<\/p>\n
He explained that using Minyakita for food assistance ultimately\nabsorbed a portion of the supply that should have been circulating in\npublic markets. \u201cThere was a policy previously where Minyakita was used\nfor food assistance, which resulted in its absence from the market,\u201d he\nadded.<\/p>\n
Learning from this experience, the government has decided to alter\nthe distribution pattern so that Minyakita focuses on meeting the needs\nof the community in traditional markets. The policy is also intended to\nmaintain Minyakita\u2019s primary function as a replacement for bulk cooking\noil.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have corrected that experience; Minyakita must no longer be used\nfor assistance but must enter traditional markets, because the essence\nof Minyakita is to replace bulk oil,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
In line with this, Minister of Trade Budi Santoso emphasised that\nmoving forward, Minyakita will no longer be part of the government\u2019s\nfood assistance packages. He noted that the cooking oil requirements for\nsocial assistance can be met through other products supplied directly by\nproducers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood assistance (as a replacement for Minyakita) can be coordinated\ndirectly with producers. The brand can be anything, depending on\navailability,\u201d Budi said after the meeting.<\/p>\n
Budi revealed that, until now, approximately 52% of the Minyakita\nallocation was absorbed by food assistance programmes, consequently\nreducing the supply available to the public in markets.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the government has decided that the entire supply of\nMinyakita will be prioritised to meet domestic market needs,\nspecifically for public and traditional markets. Meanwhile, the cooking\noil requirements for food assistance will utilise other brands outside\nof the Minyakita programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood assistance can be communicated directly; we will facilitate\nthis with producers. There are other types of oil besides Minyakita. It\ndoes not have to be Minyakita for food assistance,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Budi reaffirmed that Minyakita was created specifically to maintain\nthe affordability of cooking oil in public markets and must no longer be\ndiverted to food assistance schemes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMinyakita will not be included in food assistance. Because Minyakita\nis solely for the public market. If there is to be food assistance for\noil, we will communicate with products outside of the Minyakita brand,\nas there are many types of oil available,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-withdraws-minyakita-from-food-aid-programme-after-supply-shortages-1781013348", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }