‘How many more months should we suffer?’: Indonesians struggle with pricey cooking oil

In April, Indonesia imposed a ban on cooking oil exports to tackle supply shortages and lower prices of the widely used product. Photograph: Bagus Indahono/EPA

As millions of Indonesians travelled to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, one common struggle was being discussed in most family gatherings: the price of cooking oil.

“I always host Eid al-Fitr celebrations for my big family. I cook everything for around 20 of us. But this year is the first time I had to ask them to chip in because everything is so expensive, especially the oil, and I really can’t handle it on my own,” Ellifa Kartini said.