Non-Subsidised LPG Prices Rise, Residents Fear Shortage of 3kg Subsidised Gas Cylinders

JAKARTA - The rise in non-subsidised LPG prices is feared to trigger a shortage of subsidised 3kg gas in the market.

This concern was voiced by Dimas (28), a resident of Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta, who believes many users will switch to subsidised gas.

“Actually, the worry is that if the 12kg and 5.5kg ones rise, the subsidised 3kg will become scarce. Because many who stopped using it might switch back,” Dimas told Kompas.com on Monday (20/4/2026).

Dimas’s anxiety arose after monitoring the lively discussions on social media about criminal methods of injecting subsidised gas into non-subsidised cylinders.

“I just read on social media; it’s buzzing about the practice of mixing gas, so the 3kg is mixed into 5.5kg to sell at a higher price,” said Dimas.

Dimas criticised the still weak supervision of subsidised gas distribution channels amid society.

According to him, distribution practices at gas agents are often unsupervised and free to mix.

“Even now it’s hard to find 3kg gas, let alone if it happens later,” he said.

This is because people’s purchasing power is seen as increasingly declining, drained first by the high prices of staple food items.

Vivi, a loyal user of 12kg and 5.5kg LPG, admitted she is resigned to the soaring gas prices.

For her, gas is a daily necessity that must be bought whether one likes it or not, even if the price rises.

She also said she has no intention of switching to 3kg gas because she realises it is intended specifically for the underprivileged.

“If housewives complain, sure, but whether we like it or not, it still has to be bought because it’s needed. Using 3kg also means too many refills, it runs out quickly,” she said.