Sea Highway Successfully Lowered Commodity Prices and Logistics Costs

The marine highway program launched by the Joko Widodo administration since 2014 has had a positive impact on reducing prices for people in Eastern Indonesia, which is geographically an archipelago. However, the government also finds that the cost of logistics for land routes, especially in Eastern Indonesia, is still an obstacle in efforts to reduce logistics costs for distribution of staple goods.

"The sea toll program is profitable for the trading activities of most strategic food commodities, especially fresh fish, chilies and onions, so there is a reduction in logistics costs to the consumer level," said Director of Traffic and Sea Transportation, Directorate General of Sea Transportation, Ministry of Transportation, Capt. Antoni Arif Priadi in the PWI Jaya Forum with the theme "Efforts of the Directorate General of Sea of ​​the Ministry of Transportation to Ensure the Optimal Availability of National Marine Transportation Facilities and Infrastructure" at the PWI Jaya Auditorium, 9th Floor of the Prasada Sasana Karya Building, Jakarta, Wednesday (2/9/2020).

The PWI Jaya Forum activity was also attended by observers from MTI Fokus Maritime, Lenny Mayouri and maritime observers, Siswanto Rusdi, and was attended by more than 20 participants consisting of journalists from various mass media.

According to Capt. Antoni, based on a survey conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, found a number of encouraging things from the implementation of the Sea Toll program, namely a reduction in the price level of staple goods, a decrease in the price disparity of staple goods between Eastern and Western Indonesia.

Capt. Antoni added that the National Port Master Plan until 2022 targets to realize 28 main ports, 164 collection ports, 166 regional feeder ports and 278 local feeder ports including 1321 port location plans with 55 terminals that are part of public ports.

"A number of integrated regional and infrastructure developments are encouraged to reduce land transportation costs, realize connectivity and balance trade flows between West and East Indonesia," he explained.

Capt. Antoni also hopes that the role of journalists to always provide positive input as well as participate in socializing the existence of sea highway transportation to the frontier, outermost, remote and border areas, Antoni hopes.

On the same occasion, an observer of MTI Fokus Maritime, Lenny Maryouri, said that agriculture and fishermen are the most resilient fields from the economic crisis due to Covid19. "This refers to the two crises in 1997 and 2008," he said.

The chairman of PWI Jaya Sayid Iskandarsyah assessed that the sea highway is a program of the Joko Widodo administration in realizing the development of marine transportation facilities and infrastructure which is an integral part of national development as a capital for national economic growth and supports national competitiveness globally.

PWI Jaya sees sea transportation as inseparable from the fact that Indonesia is a maritime country. To achieve this, of course, it requires adequate policy and technology alignments and support for the application of adequate technology, research related to the use of the sea or in the maritime sector is very necessary, "the development of facilities and infrastructure has a very important role in supporting economic, social, and economic activities. culture, as well as national unity and unity, especially as the basic capital in facilitating interaction and communication among community groups as well as binding and connecting between regions, "he explained.

Sayid said that the development of marine transportation facilities and infrastructure, which is an integral part of national development, is expected to be a motor of growth for the national economy and to support national competitiveness globally.

PWI Jaya noted that the presence of the sea highway has succeeded in improving connectivity and smoothing the flow of goods to Eastern Indonesia, such as Ambon and Maluku. Thus reducing the price disparity by 15-20 percent in a number of regions in Eastern Indonesia.

Meanwhile nationally, until the end of 2019 the sea highway had increased the distribution of national logistics by 41 million tons in the last three years. According to the data published by BPS, the national logistics distribution volume in 2015 reached 238 million tons, to 279 million tons in 2018 and sea tolls played a role in this increase.

Seeing this positive performance, the Ministry of Transportation continues to encourage the optimization of the role of the Sea Highway in the national logistics chain, the government is now encouraging the implementation of Sea Highway logistics transportation not only from port to port, but to consumers, so that it is right on target to the public so they can experience affordable prices.

"PWI Jaya hopes that this forum can be a place for all parties to convey their aspirations which of course are in the form of positive aspirations for the realization of the Sea Highway as a means of realizing connectivity between regions which has been an obstacle to regional economic growth," he concluded.

Source: http://www.cakrawalanews.co.id/artikel/4447/Tol-Laut-Berhasil-Tangkas-Harga-Komoditas-Dan-Biaya-Logistik/