THE current high price of cooking oil is difficult to accept. Given that Indonesia is the world's largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO), the price of cooking oil should not be as high as it is now. In a number of cities, the price has risen more than 300 percent over the past three years. This is much higher than the inflation rate.

Theoretically, a sufficient supply should keep prices down. On paper, enough CPO is sold in the domestic market. N