Trade Minister Hopes Plastic Prices Will Drop Soon, Alternative Raw Materials En Route

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Trade Minister Budi Santoso, also known as Busan, hopes that plastic prices will soon drop in the coming days.

Plastic prices have surged as a result of the war in West Asia, which has disrupted the supply chain of plastic raw materials, naphtha, from Gulf countries.

“Hopefully, plastic prices will also drop soon because it could impact other products, many of which are packaged in plastic,” Busan said when met at JIExpo, Jakarta, on Thursday (16/4/2026).

Busan stated that the domestic plastic industry is already receiving supplies of alternative raw materials from other countries, namely India, Africa, and the United States (US).

These raw materials are currently in the process of being shipped. However, he assured that the wheels of the domestic plastic industry continue to turn.

“Indeed, they are still en route,” Busan remarked.

The government is attempting to source LPG supplies from Eurasia and regions around Russia.

“Yes, we have tried to make approaches. Hopefully, this crisis will be resolved soon,” Busan added.

The politician from the National Mandate Party (PAN) acknowledged that the rise in plastic prices is also pushing up other commodity prices.

For example, cooking oil, whose packaging requires plastic, has also increased.

“Yes, there has been a slight increase because of the impact; their packaging is all plastic,” Busan said.

Minister for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) Maman Abdurrahman stated that seaweed and cassava could serve as substitutes for naphtha.

However, the use of these two raw materials is still in the study phase and represents a long-term solution.