Agriculture Minister to Coordinate with Trade Minister Regarding Minyakita Price Ceiling Increase
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Agriculture and Head of the National Food Agency, Andi Amran Sulaiman, stated that he will soon coordinate with the Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso, to address the planned increase in the maximum retail price (HET) for Minyakita.
“I have just returned from the Holy Land (performing the Hajj pilgrimage). I will coordinate with the Minister of Trade and report to the Coordinating Minister,” said Minister Amran, when met following a coordination meeting regarding the development and price stabilisation efforts for Fresh Fruit Bunches (TBS) of oil palm in Jakarta on Monday.
He made these remarks in response to press enquiries regarding the planned adjustment of the Minyakita HET, which was previously communicated by the Ministry of Trade. Amran stated that he would first coordinate with Minister of Trade Boded Santoso regarding the policy.
In addition to coordinating with the Minister of Trade, Amran also mentioned that the results of the discussions concerning Minyakita price developments and policies would be reported to the Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, to obtain further direction.
“I have just returned to the office. Wait for the coordination meeting,” Amran said.
Nevertheless, Amran assessed that CPO prices should currently be in a good condition, but the government will still conduct cross-ministerial discussions before making a decision regarding the Minyakita HET. “Our CPO prices should be fine right now. I will coordinate with the Minister of Trade and then report to the Coordinating Minister,” the Minister added briefly.
Amran has not provided more detailed information regarding the plan to raise the Minyakita HET as he has only recently returned to the office after performing the Hajj pilgrimage.
“Today, we agreed that we will raise the maximum retail price for Minyakita,” said Budi following a ministerial-level coordination meeting on food affairs at the Ministry of Trade office in Jakarta on Thursday (4/6).
Regarding the latest HET for Minyakita, Budi noted that no final agreement has been reached yet. According to him, the latest price determination for Minyakita will still be discussed further between ministries and agencies.
Budi stated that the government’s decision to raise the Minyakita HET is based on the price developments of crude palm oil (CPO), which has recently experienced increases. He noted that the new HET can only be established once CPO and Fresh Fruit Bunch (TBS) prices are sufficiently stable. Budi aims to finalise the new Minyakita HET within the next one to two weeks.
Currently, the HET for Minyakita is set at Rp15,700 per litre. The adjustment to the HET is purely driven by the rising prices of CPO raw materials and production costs, which affect the economic viability of the people’s cooking oil product.