Firewood a hot seller as kerosene hard to buy

Firewood a hot seller as kerosene hard to buy

Antara, Kediri

Since fuel prices went up on Oct. 1, pricing kerosene out of the
reach of many poor people, more residents of Kediri regency, East
Java, have been using firewood for their cooking needs.

Sarim, a resident of Klethak subdistrict, said he used to sell
just a small amount of firewood before the fuel price hike. But
since fuel prices went up, demand for firewood has been on the
rise.

More people are turning up at Sarim's house to buy firewood,
with one person going so far as to dispatch a truck to pick up a
major load of firewood.

With this recent surge in demand, Sarim has put up his prices
from Rp 3,000 to Rp 5,000 per band of firewood, allowing him to
profit from the fuel price increases that have hurt so many other
people.

The price of kerosene was about Rp 1,000 a liter before the
government announced the fuel price increases on Oct. 1. Since
the increases, kerosene prices have risen threefold to Rp 3,500 a
liter. This is the main factor driving people to use firewood for
their cooking needs.

In a separate development, with demand for firewood taking
off, more people are collecting and selling firewood to make
money. Parti, a resident of Curahjoho subdistrict, used to work
in fields owned by a farmer, but now the mother of three is
selling firewood to earn extra income for her family.