Residents in Ahok Village Scream because Elpiji Price Reaches IDR 220,000

BELITUNG, KOMPAS.com – Manggar District in the District East BelitungIslands Bangka Belitung known as the land of 1001 coffee shops.

Hometown of the President Commissioner of PT Pertamina Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok it is a heterogeneous area where most of the people work as fishermen.

Now residents in Manggar are screaming because the price of non-subsidized LPG has soared significantly. One of them felt, Atak, the owner of the Snow White coffee shop at the Foldkajang Market, Manggar.

According to Atak, the price of 12 kilograms (kg) LPG gas reached Rp 220,000. A drastic jump from the previous price of IDR 190,000.

“I just bought it this morning, the price is already Rp. 220,000 which is 12 kilograms,” said Atak when confirmed by Kompas.com, Monday (28/2/2022).

Also read: Non-subsidized Gas Prices Rise, Pangkalpinang People Switch to 3 Kg Elpiji

Atak said, in a month, you need 4 gas cylinders packaged with 12 kilograms. The price increase which reached Rp. 30,000 was very burdensome.

At the same time, Atak also has to think about other needs, including basic necessities.

“We hope that the price of LPG will go down and be stable. If you need a lot, the cost will increase,” said the mother of four.

On the other hand, said Atak, the selling price of food and drinks in his stalls has not changed. He also can not immediately raise prices because of maintaining relationships with customers.

Another Manggar resident, Marwansyah, also complained about the significant increase in LPG prices.

“I used 12 kilograms but I haven’t refilled it. Earlier, I was asked the price was Rp. 220,000,” said Marwan.

He hoped that the government could control the prices related to the daily needs of the people.

“Hopefully the people can live in peace, the prices don’t go up so high, let alone the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the former member of the East Belitung Bawaslu.

Also read: Prices of 5.5 Kg and 12 Kg LPG Rise Starting Today, Check Out the Details

Pertamina Explanation

Pertamina through PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, Sub Holding Commercial & Trading PT Pertamina (Persero) adjusted the price of non-subsidized LPG.

The new prices for all non-subsidized LPG products are effective from 27 February 2022.

Acting PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Corporate Secretary, SH C&T PT Pertamina (Persero) Irto Ginting explained that this adjustment was made following the latest developments in the oil and gas industry.

“It was recorded that the price of Aramco’s Contract Price (CPA) reached 775 US dollars per metric ton, an increase of about 21 percent from the average CPA price throughout 2021,” explained Irto in a written statement.

Also read: Non-subsidized LPG Prices Rise, Because of Russia and Ukraine?

With the adjustment, the current non-subsidized LPG price is around Rp. 15,500 per Kilogram (Kg), this price adjustment has taken into account the conditions and capabilities of the non-subsidized LPG market, besides that this price is still the most competitive compared to various countries in ASEAN.

For subsidized LPG 3 Kg, Irto stated that there was no change in the applicable price.

“The price adjustment only applies to non-subsidized LPG, such as Bright Gas, or about 6.7 percent of the total national LPG consumption as of January 2022. The 3 Kg subsidized LPG whose portion is more than 93 percent does not change in price, the price still refers to the Highest Retail Price (HET) determined by the local government,” concluded Irto.

Also read: Jokowi Annoyed, RI Drops IDR 7 Trillion a Year Because of Elpiji Imports

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