Fuel scarcity affects nation
Fuel scarcity affects nation
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As the country braces for more street protests and panic buying
ahead of the fuel price increase on Oct. 1, the fuel scarcity has
created long lines on Wednesday at filling stations and kerosene
distributors nationwide.
In Bandarlampung, the increased price of kerosene from Rp 800
to Rp 2,000 per liter made the three-day wait for the fuel --
which the nation's poorest people use for cooking -- all the more
frustrating. Moreover, a purchase of five liters was the most a
family could hope for. Several small-scale industries have
reportedly switched from using kerosene to diesel fuel.
In some areas, like Way Kanan regency, the price of kerosene
had surpassed that of Premium gasoline at Rp 3,000 per liter.
Ruslan, a kerosene agent in Bandarlampung, said he let
customers deposit their empty containers with him out of pity.
He said he usually received 5,000 liters of kerosene every
three days but, over the last month, he received it once a week.
"Now we only get the supply once a week, on Saturdays, so it's
not enough for all residents," said Ruslan.
In Harapanjaya subdistrict, a 200-liter supply of kerosene
was quickly sold. "Once the kerosene supply arrives, customers
storm in and it's gone within an hour," said Husin, the trader.
In Lempasing, South Lampung, residents pitted against
fishermen who are now powering their boats with kerosene, while
in Kotakarang subdistrict in Bandarlampung, kerosene was hard to
come by as retailers preferred to sell it to fishermen at higher
prices.
Head of state oil company Pertamina in Lampung, Amilin Ali,
blamed the kerosene scarcity on panic buying ahead of the
imminent fuel price increases.
Currently, he said, the company had a three-day supply of
2,700 kiloliters of Premium gasoline, 4,400 kiloliters of
kerosene for six days and 17,400 kiloliters of diesel oil for 11
days. "Although the supply is counted on a daily basis, two
tankers provide a fresh fuel supply everyday," Amilin said.
Long queues were observed at gas stations across the country,
including in Semarang, Surakarta and its surrounding cities like
Salatiga and Magelang, as many motorists had to wait for hours to
get gasoline.
At Tanjung Emas harbor in Semarang, tanker MT Sinar Yogya
unloaded on Tuesday 24,000 kiloliters of Premium gasoline.
"We hope the arrival can help with the fuel shortages at
several gas stations in Semarang," Pertamina's spokesperson in
Semarang, Heppy Wulansari, said on Wednesday.
Several gas stations, including in the North Sulawesi town of
Manado, had run out of gas on Wednesday, while in the East Java
town of Kediri, several stations had set a five-liter limit on
sales to prevent stockpiling ahead of the fuel price increases.
"We support the move (to set a five-liter limit) as it makes
it easier to control," Kediri Police chief Adj. Comr. Suyono,
told Antara.
In Yogyakarta, the scarcity has pushed the price of Premium
gasoline up to Rp 7,500 per liter at retailers.
Although the government is yet to officially announce the new
fuel prices, the prices of some basic goods have started to rise.
In Jambi, garlic was priced at Rp 8,000 a kg, from the
previous Rp 7,000, while chilies were Rp 10,000 from the earlier
Rp 7,000 a kg.
A trader, Umar, said on Wednesday he had to increase prices
since his merchandise came from outside Jambi, such as West
Sumatra, meaning high transportation costs due to fuel
consumption. "We have to raise prices in order not to lose
money," Umar said.