The maritime highway program is proven to be able to reduce price disparities

 

The maritime hig

hway program that was launched in 2015 has proven to be able to reduce price disparities in various regions, especially eastern Indonesia, so that it will continue to be developed and expanded.

"In the context of maintaining price stability, the sea toll program is very important, because this program is very helpful in ensuring and smoothing the distribution of various basic needs," said Assistant Deputy for Monetary and External Sector of the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, Ferry Irawan in Jakarta.

This was conveyed in a webinar discussion on Marine Transportation Strategies in Improving Logistics Performance during the Pandemic which was held by the Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Transportation.

In a discussion with the Regent of Morotai, North Maluku, Ferry said that the area really depends on the existence of the sea highway in maintaining various food stock needs and to control the inflation rate. The volatile food inflation is strongly influenced by the smooth distribution, especially Indonesia, which has an archipelagic background.

According to him, volatile food inflation has been successfully suppressed over the past 10 years, from around 9 percent to 3 percent. "This is inseparable from the efforts of various structural policies carried out by the government, one of which is land and sea infrastructure," he said.

He said the maritime highway program's goal was to reach and distribute logistics to underdeveloped, remote, outermost and border areas. In addition, to ensure the availability of goods and reduce price disparities in order to improve the welfare of the community.

In accordance with Presidential Decree No.71 of 2015 Article 2 Paragraph 6, there are 11 basic necessities that can be transported by the sea toll, including rice, soybeans, raw materials for tofu / tempeh, chilies, shallots, sugar, cooking oil, wheat flour, and eggs. .

In addition, there is also Minister of Trade Regulation No. 38/2018 Market 3 Paragraph 1 which covers a wider range of commodities that can be transported by sea tolls, including drinking water, garlic, salt, green beans, peanuts, margarine, medicines, vegetables, milk, tea, coffee, finished clothes, nails and zinc. "The sea highway is an effective marine connectivity in the form of ships serving regularly and on a scheduled basis from west to eastern Indonesia," he said.

Source: https://www.antaranews.com/berita/2006921/program-tol-laut-terbukti-mampu-kurangi-disparity-price