Pertamina has 'no plan' to jack up lubricant prices
Pertamina has 'no plan' to jack up lubricant prices
JAKARTA (JP): The state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina
assured the public yesterday that it had no plan to increase
lubricant prices and supply was plentiful here and nationwide.
"The public need not worry. We have enough supplies of
lubricants and there is, thus far, no plan to raise prices,"
Pertamina's spokesman Ramli Djaafar said.
He made the remark following reports about shortages of
lubricants at gas stations across Jakarta and its surroundings
over the past several days.
Some gas stations have even reportedly raised the prices of
lubricants.
Ramli said Pertamina was currently checking out which areas
were experiencing shortages so supplies of lubricants could be
dispatched in order to meet demand.
He said the shortage had occurred because some people had
bought up large amounts of lubricant and hoped to profit from it
following rumors that Pertamina did not have enough lubricants
and would soon raise prices.
He called on all gas stations not to lift prices, warning that
Pertamina would take punitive measures against those who
disobeyed the instruction.
He also called on stations not to sell lubricants in large
amounts to individual buyers in order to prevent stockpiling
activities which could imperil the supply-demand balance.
"We only supply a large amount of lubricants to industries not
to motorists who only need a small amount."
He said Pertamina would report individuals caught buying up
large amount of lubricants.
"We'll let the police take action against them."
Pertamina imports about 5 percent of its lubricants and
produces the remaining 95 percent.
Company data reveals that it supplied 376,677 kiloliters of
lubricants in the 1996/1997 fiscal year, a 7.2 percent increase
to the previous year's supply.
The company projects demand will increase 5.2 percent to
390,346 kiloliters in the 1998/1999 fiscal year.
Based on The Jakarta Post observations, in several gas
stations along Jl. Margonda and Jl. Lenteng Agung in South
Jakarta; Jl. Dewi Sartika, Jl. Otto Iskandar Dinata, Jl. Pramuka
and Jl. Pemuda in East Jakarta there were no stocks of Mesran
Super, Mesran Prima or 2T lubricants.
Supriyadi, a worker at Pramuka gas station, said lubricants
had been scarce since the end of last month.
"At that time we sold Mesran Super at Rp 5,700 (50 U.S. cents)
for a one liter can. But now the market price is set between Rp
7,500 and Rp 11,000," he said.
A Depok customer complained that he had to drive around to
find lubricants.
"Imagine, I've searched around Depok to find it. I even drove
around Margonda and Lenteng Agung. Eventually I found it in Pasar
Minggu, where I had to pay Rp 11,500 for one can," he said.
And the prices of spare parts have also risen substantially.
Ito, a motorcycle mechanic at Ciputat, said an IRC motorcycle
tire which used to cost Rp 20,000 now sells for Rp 33,000.
The price of NGK motorcycle sparkplugs has risen from Rp 2,400
to Rp 5,000 and Champion sparkplugs from Rp 2,400 to Rp 3,000.
(jsk/edt)