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Deputy Agriculture Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi on Wednesday said domestic cooking oil producers would be required to include vitamin A in their products by next year.

“By then, it will be mandatory for all local cooking oil producers to fortify their cooking oil with vitamin A,” he said. “This will no doubt improve people’s overall health levels.”

Some 50 countries around the world have already made it mandatory for cooking oil to be fortified with vitamin A. The strategy is a proven cost-effective intervention measure to protect children’s eyesight and reduce maternal mortality.

“We will send a notification to the WTO [World Trade Organization] in June, and by January 2011, all locally produced cooking oil that does not contain vitamin A will be pulled from the market,” Bayu warned.

Almost 15 percent of Indonesians over the age of 1 suffer from vitamin A deficiency, having a detrimental effect on their sight. About 70 percent of Indonesians are believed to consume cooking oil on a daily basis.

According to data provided by the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, vitamin A fortification will not be a major a burden on producers. For every kilogram of cooking oil, costing about Rp 10,000 ($1.07), the addition would only cost producers an additional Rp 100.

“An additional 1 percent on production costs per kilogram of cooking oil should not burden producers too much,” Bayu said.

But according to chairman of the Indonesian Edible Oil Industry Association (Aimmi), Adi Wisoko Kasman, the additional cost would hurt producers.

“Even if it’s only 1 percent, it makes up for a heavier load for us to bear,” he said.

“But if it’s going to be mandatory, then so be it.”

Adi also expressed doubts over the new regulation’s effectiveness in protecting people’s health.

“Indonesians tend to over-fry their food; wouldn’t that decrease the vitamin’s effectiveness?” he said.

But Bayu was adamant on the issue, saying “at least 60 percent of the vitamin’s effectiveness stays no matter how intense the frying procedure is.”