The Increase in Prices of Oil, Consumable Sugar, and Garlic Needs Immediate Intervention

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Ahead of Ramadan 2025, the prices of Minyakita, consumer sugar, and garlic tend to remain high. To avoid burdening the public's expenses throughout Ramadan-Eid 2025, these three commodities need to be promptly intervened.

This emerged during the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting held by the Ministry of Home Affairs in a hybrid format in Jakarta, Monday (17/2/2025). The meeting was attended by representatives of local governments and ministries/agencies related to food.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that, as of the second week of February 2025, the national average price of Minyakita was Rp 17,411 per liter, bulk cooking oil was Rp 17,620 per liter, and premium cooking oil was Rp 21,545 per liter. Specifically for Minyakita, its price is far above the highest retail price (HET) set by the government at Rp 15,700 per liter. The highest price was in Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua, at Rp 60,000 per liter.

The national average price of consumer sugar is Rp 18,386 per kilogram (kg), an increase of 0.96 percent compared to January 2025. This sugar price is also above the reference selling price (HAP) of consumer sugar at the consumer level, which is Rp 17,500 per kg. The highest price is in Puncak and Pegunungan Bintang Regencies, at Rp 40,000 per kg.

The national average price of garlic is Rp 43,645 per kg, a decrease of 0.32 percent. However, the price of this commodity is still far above the HAP for garlic, which is Rp 38,000 per kg. The highest prices are in Puncak and Intan Jaya Regencies, reaching Rp 100,000 per kg.

Deputy III for Economic Affairs at the Presidential Staff Office, Edy Priyono, stated that the price of Minyakita has indeed started to decrease slightly, although it is still above the HET. Therefore, the Ministry of Trade needs to expedite the realization of Minyakita distribution through cooperation between cooking oil producers and Perum Bulog and ID Food.

"Also ensure that Bulog and ID Food retail networks sell Minyakkita at the HET, which is IDR 15,700 per liter," he said.

On February 12, 2025, the National Food Agency (Bapanas) has facilitated cooperation between Bulog and ID Food with the Indonesian Vegetable Oil Industry Association (GIMNI). Bulog is able to stock 50,000 tons of Minyakita and 20,000 tons of ID Food (Kompas, 12/2/2025).

Regarding granulated sugar or consumption, Edy continued, the government has decided to import 200,000 tons of raw sugar for the government's sugar reserves (CGP). Once the import approval is issued, the import of the sugar should be promptly realized.

Meanwhile, the remaining CGP needs to be rolled out to the market. This is to anticipate and dampen the increase or spike in demand and sugar prices that always occur every Ramadan-Eid.

"Regarding garlic, the price increase usually occurs because the realization of imports is not optimal. On the other hand, there is also a distribution problem, because the national average price disparity as of February 14, 2025 is high, namely 19.47 percent," he said.

Regarding garlic, the price increase usually occurs because the realization of imports is not optimal.

Based on data from the Ministry of Trade, the garlic import quota in 2025 is 550,000 tons. Of that amount, 117,612 tons have been issued import approvals. However, the realization as of the second week of February 2025 is still zero percent. Meanwhile, the garlic stock in early 2025 was 53,484 tons.

On the same occasion, Director of National Food and Nutrition Alertness Bapanas Nita Yulianis expressed the need for intervention in the price of garlic and cooking oil. As of February 16, 2025, the average price of garlic in Java Island has reached IDR 41,841 per kg or 10.11 percent above HAP.

The average price of garlic in the eastern part of eastern Indonesia and in remote, frontier, disadvantaged, and border areas (3TP) even reached Rp51,963 per kg or 29.96 percent above HAP. The monthly supply of garlic at the Kramat Jati Main Market, Jakarta, is also limited, namely 18 tons or below the normal average supply of 26 tons.

As for Minyakita, Nita continued, the national average price has reached Rp17,637 per liter or 12.34 percent above the HET. Likewise with bulk cooking oil whose average price is also high, namely Rp17,848 per liter.

"Currently, Minyakita and bulk cooking oil need supply and price intervention. While garlic, the most urgent intervention needs to be done in the eastern Indonesia region and the 3TP area," he said.

Meanwhile, to stabilize the supply and prices of a number of staple food commodities, the government is preparing market operations. The market operation plan was discussed in the 2025 Ramadan-Lebaran Staple Food Availability Coordination Meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture, Monday (2/17/2025).

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said that the government has prepared a market operation mechanism. This includes the type of commodity, volume and price of the commodity market operation to be distributed, and location determination.

"We will conduct a large market operation, especially for meat, granulated sugar, and cooking oil. Today (Monday) we are still holding a meeting and will decide on February 19, 2025," he said in a press release in Jakarta.