The government will monitor the development of cooking oil price before increasing the export duty on crude palm oil (CPO) export duty. Labels: Economy, Internet News
CPO and cooking oil producers are regarded as not yet having been optimum in terms of market operations.
“If (the ideal cooking oil price) isn't reached, we'll certainly implement (the export duty increase0” said Boediono, Coordinating Minister for the Economy, in Jakarta yesterday (5/6).
Earlier, the government had threatened that it would the raise export duty, which has been 1.5 percent up until now.
This is stated in an agreement between the government and producers that if by June 1, 2007, cooking oil prices have not reached an ideal price of between Rp6,500 and Rp6,800 per kilogram.
However, the price stabilization program, which has been carried out since March, has not yet been successful in decreasing cooking oil prices.
Currently, cooking oil prices are still between Rp8,000 and Rp9,000 per kilogram.
The government planned to implement the domestic market obligation (DMO) policy if cooking oil prices remain high.
According to Boediono, CPO producers are not yet optimum in carrying out market operations (procuring the product in markets).
This is seen from the high CPO export volume, uncontrolled domestic supply and high cooking oil prices.
“Due to increasing CPO prices abroad, we want the players in the business to hold more effective market operations,” he said.
CPO producers circle stated they are ready to procure 150,000 tons for cooking oil price stabilization program this June.
“We're ready to procure 150,000 tons. All producers are committed that the price stabilization program in June will lower prices,” said Akmaludin Hasibuan, General Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Businesspeople Association, when contacted in Jakarta yesterday.
Benny Wahyudi, Director General of Agriculture and Chemical at the Industry Department, said the government will increase export duty and implement DMO policy in July, after the price stabilization program evaluation in June.
Unsuccessful price stabilization program in May was because a lot of suppliers didn't fulfill the procurement commitment,” he said.
Out of the commitment to procure 97,000 tons of CPO, around 35,000 tons had not been realized.
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