PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Cindy Monica, a member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV, has urged the government to take firm action against Minyakita producers found guilty of fraudulent practices, particularly those selling products with less volume than stated on the packaging. She stressed that such actions harm consumers and undermine public trust in the subsidized cooking oil program.
“This case highlights the potential for fraud that disadvantages the public. We call on the government and relevant authorities to take immediate and strict action against producers violating the regulations,” Cindy stated in an official release on Tuesday (March 11, 2025).
As a politician from the NasDem Party, Cindy emphasized that Minyakita was introduced to ensure affordable cooking oil for the public. However, dishonest practices by producers in misrepresenting packaging volumes could put the credibility of the program at risk.
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She called on the Ministry of Trade and related agencies to conduct a thorough audit of all Minyakita producers to ensure compliance with established regulations.
“I urge the Ministry of Trade and other relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive audit of all Minyakita producers. If violations are found, strict penalties should be imposed, ranging from stern warnings to business license revocations,” asserted Cindy, who represents the electoral district of West Sumatra II.
Cindy also stressed the need for stricter oversight of Minyakita’s production and distribution to prevent similar incidents in the future. She reminded that consumers have the right to receive products as advertised.
“The public deserves to get exactly what they pay for. Moving forward, stricter monitoring is necessary to ensure such cases do not happen again,” she added.
The government is expected to take concrete steps in response to these alleged violations, including further investigation and legal action against those found guilty.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) has swiftly addressed the latest findings regarding Minyakita products, where it was discovered that one-liter packaging contained only 750–800 milliliters of cooking oil.
Moga Simatupang, Director General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance, announced plans to take firm action against companies involved in such deceptive practices. Speaking at the 2025 Inflation Control Coordination Meeting, Moga revealed that social media reports had gone viral regarding the shortage of oil volume in Minyakita products.
“We took similar action in Mauk last January,” Moga said, referring to prior enforcement against a Minyakita distributor in Mauk, Tangerang Regency, Banten. The Ministry of Trade had sealed the distributor’s operations due to suspected violations.
One of the cited infractions was the failure to meet the declared product capacity, a clear violation of Law No. 19 of 1981 on Legal Metrology. (P2)
