Pertamina Suspects Misallocation Behind Subsidised Diesel Queues in Sumatra

PT Pertamina Patra Niaga suspects that the long queues for subsidised diesel in several regions are due to distribution not reaching the intended recipients. However, the company did not elaborate further on the cause of the problem or the steps being taken to prevent the scarcity from recurring.

Corporate Secretary of Pertamina Patra Niaga, Roberth Dumatubun, conveyed this explanation when responding to Tempo’s questions regarding the long queues for subsidised diesel reported in several areas of Sumatra. “The suspicion is that the distribution is not on target,” Roberth said via a written message on Friday, 10 July 2026.

Tempo had previously sent a number of questions to Roberth regarding the signs of diesel scarcity, the alleged reduction in supply to petrol stations, distribution evaluations, and mitigation measures to prevent the problem from happening again. However, he did not answer these questions.

Over the past month, a scarcity of biodiesel, or subsidised diesel, has been reported in several regions in Sumatra. The condition has triggered long queues of buses and lorries at petrol stations and has begun to disrupt the operations of logistics and intercity interprovincial transport.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Land Transport Owners (Organda), Kurnia Lesani Adnan, said that reports of queues are received almost daily from various areas, such as Padang, Bukittinggi, Jambi, Medan, Palembang, and Lampung. “This diesel scarcity has actually been going on for a long time and is always recurring. However, the condition has worsened in the last month,” Adnan said.

According to Adnan, the problem is not only occurring in Sumatra but is also beginning to be felt in several areas of Kalimantan and Sulawesi. He assessed that the scarcity has become more massive since the implementation of the barcode system through the MyPertamina application.

He said the system still leaves various problems, ranging from weak supervision, barcode quotas that often disappear, unexplained barcode blockings, to a slow response from the service centre and a lack of firm action against barcode misuse.

Adnan also claimed to have received information from several filling station managers that the supply received is not in accordance with the volume requested. He gave an example of a filling station that ordered 32 kilolitres but only received around 18 kilolitres, with uncertain delivery schedules.

Adnan further suspected that the scarcity occurs more frequently in areas with large-scale mining and plantation activities. “Our suspicion is that the distribution is not on target,” he said.

In line with Organda, the Secretary General of the Indonesian Logistics and Forwarders Association (ALFI), Trismawan Sanjaya, said the scarcity of subsidised diesel for freight transport has been going on for years, especially in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and several regions of eastern Indonesia.

According to Trismawan, the problem is triggered by several factors. These include the alleged misuse of subsidised diesel due to the large price difference with non-subsidised diesel, limited filling station infrastructure to serve logistics vehicles, and a distribution system that is considered inefficient.

“In Sumatra and Java, the massive development of industrial estates and commercial centres has increased the number of freight vehicles requiring more fuel,” Trismawan said.