Yogyakartans turn to coal briquettes

Yogyakartans turn to coal briquettes

Slamet Susanto
The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta

Today's high fuel prices are no longer a source of stress for
Agus Sumarwoto as two months ago the catering entrepreneur turned
to coal briquettes.

He chose coal briquettes as an alternative fuel as they are
cost efficient.

Before using the coal briquettes, Agus had to use 15 tanks of
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a week, with each tank of 15
kilograms of LPG costing him Rp 51,000. The catering company had
to use firewood and kerosene to cook certain kinds of foods,
causing the company to spend Rp 250,000 a day on fuel.

"We were aware of the government's plan to raise fuel prices,
so we started using the briquettes prior to the government's
announcement of the price increases," said Agus.

Now he spends Rp 160,000 a day on fuel.

Agus is among many people nationwide who turned to coal
briquettes after the fuel price increases on Oct. 1. Ignatius, a
chicken farmer with 10,000 chickens, for example, vowed he would
switch to coal briquettes next week. He is currently using
kerosene and LPG to run a machine that keeps his chicken coops
warm.

Since the government raised fuel prices the demand for coal
briquettes has risen from two tons a day to 15 tons a day.

"We cannot meet the rising demand as the supply from coal
producer PT Bukit Asam is limited. We are supplied twice a month,
with each supply amounting to 15 tons," said Jimin, the owner of
a local coal briquette supplier.

As demand is on the rise, the price of coal briquettes has
increased from Rp 800 per kilogram to Rp 2,000 per kilogram.

Most people who use coal briquettes are restaurant and
catering company owners, although they are also bought for
household use or by farmers, said Jimin.

While some experts have said the use of coal briquettes
can cause lung problems, Marno Datun of Gadjah Mada University
believes they are safe to use. He said that, as coal briquette
makers in the country had reduced the sulfuric content of the
briquettes, using them was no longer a health hazard.