Cooking Oil Sellers Anxious Due to High Plastic Prices, They Vent Like This
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The increase in plastic prices is impacting the price of bulk cooking oil, which has also begun to rise recently. In fact, the price of bulk cooking oil surged several days before Lebaran 2026.
From CNBC Indonesia’s observations at Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta on Monday (27/4/2026), the price of bulk cooking oil, previously Rp20,000 per kg, now stands at Rp23,000 per kg. Traders also revealed that the price of bulk cooking oil once rose to Rp25,000 per kg.
One of them, Ilyas, stated that cooking oil is becoming more expensive due to plastic usage, so the rise in plastic prices is also affecting bulk cooking oil prices. He even mentioned that the price of bulk cooking oil once exceeded Rp25,000 per kg.
“Bulk cooking oil is now Rp23,000 for 1 kg, previously it was Rp19,000 to Rp20,000 per kg. But because plastic prices are high, the price of bulk cooking oil is also getting more expensive. It even broke through Rp25,000,” said Ilyas when met by CNBC Indonesia on Monday (27/4/2026).
In addition, practical packaged cooking oil in plastic cup form is not available, due to the effect of high plastic prices.
“That’s right, there are no plastic cup packages at the moment, only small 200 ml bottles,” he said.
He hopes that the rise in plastic prices affecting bulk cooking oil prices can be minimised by the government, as cooking oil is one of the important staple needs for the public.
“Since the price went up, customers have decreased, there’s a lot of stock but it’s not selling much, so the buyers are like nearby eateries or restaurants,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Tono, another trader, admitted that the rise in plastic prices is also impacting sales of cooking oil and other staple needs, including bulk cooking oil.
“The effect of rising plastic prices is spreading everywhere, cooking oil is affected, crackers are affected, anything using plastic packaging is expensive now. Usually, if branded oil is expensive, people go for bulk cooking oil or practical packaged cooking oil, but now they can’t,” said Tono.
Tono hopes the government can quickly anticipate the rise in cooking oil prices, so they don’t keep increasing like what happened with bulk cooking oil before.
“Yes, hoping this problem can be resolved, we have abundant natural resources, yet prices are still high, we’re getting squeezed, the public even more so,” he clarified.
Sugar prices have not yet risen
While plastic prices have already impacted bulk cooking oil sales, the price of bulk granulated sugar at Pasar Minggu remains relatively stable, at around Rp16,000 per kg or Rp8,000 for half a kilogram. However, traders are starting to worry about the impact of rising plastic prices, as bulk granulated sugar packaging uses plastic.
“Sugar is still stable, half a kilogram is Rp8,000, but I’m a bit worried if it really rises later, because the packaging is also plastic,” said Tono.
He hopes the rise in plastic prices does not affect bulk granulated sugar prices, as this would further pressure his sales.
“Yes, hoping there’s no increase either, I’m already dizzy if sugar follows suit and rises,” he explained.