Pertamina dyes gasoline for poor

Pertamina dyes gasoline for poor

JAKARTA: State oil and gas company Pertamina has launched
a program to dye gasoline for households and small industries
green to prevent big business from buying the fuel allocated for
the poor.

Under a presidential decree issued early this year, the
government provides as substantial subsidy for kerosene for
households and small enterprises, but smaller amounts of subsidy
for kerosene for mid-size and big industries.

The price of fuel for households and small enterprises is set
at Rp 600 per liter, while the price of fuel for mid-size and big
industries is charged by Pertamina on a monthly basis to reach 75
percent of the international price. This month, the price is at
Rp 1,750 per liter.

Pertamina however faces difficulties in preventing fuel
allocated for small enterprises and households from being sold by
corrupt officials to mid-size industries and big industries.

Pertamina said in a statement Thursday that through the dyeing
policy the company hoped to be more capable of preventing the
fuel from being sold to big business. It would impose sanctions
on mid-sized to big industries which were caught storing green-
dyed gasoline. -- JP