Traders in Kupang Manipulate Minyakita Prices, Reaching Rp18,000 per Litre

A number of traders at Naikoten 1 Market in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, are selling Minyakita above the Highest Retail Price (HET) of Rp15,700 per litre. According to monitoring at the market on Wednesday morning, Minyakita prices varied from Rp16,000 to Rp18,000 per litre. Sri Wahyuningsih, a trader selling Minyakita at Rp16,000 per litre, said she sourced her oil directly from Bulog. “It should be sold at Rp15,700, but sometimes I don’t have Rp300 in change, so I sell it for Rp16,000 per litre,” she said. Another trader at the market, who declined to give their name, admitted to selling Minyakita at Rp18,000 per litre. The price increase was to cover packaging and transport costs, as they did not obtain the oil directly from Bulog but from other traders. “The current situation is that Bulog’s stock is empty. So we take oil from other people. If we sell according to the HET, we could make a loss; if we took it directly from Bulog, of course the price would be different,” they said. This situation has triggered price disparities for Minyakita at the Naikoten 1 traditional market. Residents are forced to buy the subsidised cooking oil at prices higher than the government-mandated HET. Meanwhile, a number of residents have asked traders not to manipulate the price of the government-subsidised Minyakita. “I ask traders not to play with the price of Minyakita because this is a subsidised commodity for the community. If it keeps rising, housewives are the ones who suffer,” said Liza, a resident of Liliba Village shopping at Naikoten 1 Market. She suggested that the local government needs to monitor the distribution and sale of Minyakita to keep prices in line with regulations. “Subsidised cooking oil should be affordable for all members of the public,” she said. Yohan, a resident of Oebobo Village, expressed a similar view. He urged the government to take action against traders selling Minyakita far above the HET. “If the HET is set at Rp15,700, then it should be sold at that price. Just because stock is limited, the price shouldn’t be raised arbitrarily,” he said.