Pertamina starts market operation
Monday, December 11 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
The state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina started market operation on Sunday by directly selling kerosene to households in the Samarinda town of East Kalimantan at the market price of Rp 450 per liter, the local Samarinda Post daily said.
The paper said that a long queue of housewives to purchase the kerosene were seen in two locations starting nine in the morning.
The paper quoted Pertamina local marketing chief HM Noor as saying that the market operation would be implemented until early January, next year, to help maintain kerosene supply during the year-end festivities.
The year-end festivities included the current fasting Ramadhan period, the Moslem Idul Fitr Holiday, Christmas and New Year Holiday.
The market operation was made following reports that the Samarinda town had been hit by kerosene shortage problem. Kerosene is a basic commodity to many households in the area. There has been reports that the heavily-subsidized kerosene had been smuggled out of the country. (*)