Cooking Oil Prices Rise, Legislator Urges Distribution Oversight

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Bambang Haryo Soekartono has highlighted the rise in cooking oil prices, which he deems inconsistent with the Maximum Retail Price (HET) set by the government.

According to Bambang, this situation could lead to legal issues if deviations in distribution and pricing are found, given that cooking oil is a subsidised commodity funded by the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN).

“The change in cooking oil prices not in line with the HET has the potential to fall under corruption crimes, as everything uses the APBN budget,” Bambang stated in his remarks on Thursday (23/4/2026).

In addition to cooking oil, Bambang pointed out a similar situation with subsidised gas, which he said is still found being sold above the HET in the field.

According to him, the government has regulated the subsidy mechanism to keep prices affordable for the public, so price deviations must be firmly addressed.

“Including gas, this exceeds the HET, even though the government has already regulated its subsidy,” he emphasised.

“Therefore, the KPK and police must immediately step in and can arrest and legally process the perpetrators,” Bambang said.

He also urged a thorough audit to ensure there are no deviations in the distribution chain or pricing at the market level.

According to Bambang, such oversight is crucial because the subsidies come from the APBN, which originates from public funds.

On the other hand, Trade Minister Budi Santoso acknowledged the price increase in cooking oil triggered by the surge in plastic prices as packaging material.

According to Budi, all cooking oil products use plastic packaging, thus affected by the rise in that material’s price.

“Yes, there is a slight increase as well because it’s an impact from, well, all their packaging is plastic,” Budi said when met at JIExpo, Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Thursday (16/4/2026).