The Ministry Of Transportation Wants To Build New Airports And Ports In Merauke To Support The Swasembada Program

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) has confirmed that it will build new airports and ports in Merauke, South Papua. This step is part of the support for the national food self-sufficiency program being run by the government.

Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi explained that the construction of transportation infrastructure will be focused on supporting the smooth running of the program.

Furthermore, Dudy emphasized that the airport to be built does not take advantage of old facilities, but is a new infrastructure. This is because the current airport is inadequate.

"New airports (which will be built), because it (the current airport) happens to have a private sector. After we see the location there is a swamp," he said when met at the DPR Building, Jakarta, Wednesday, October 1.

Dudy said the new airport will be designed to have an adequate length of runway, so that it can accommodate large-bodied aircraft.

"The current one is not adequate for large types of (airplanes). So we build a new one, then with a more adequate location for soil contours," he said.

Dudy said the airport construction would start as soon as possible, although the completion target is estimated to take quite a long time.

"We may wake up the airport as soon as possible. Usually it takes a while. But yes, we try to do our best so that it can be finished. Maybe next year we will start, now it's the end of the year," he said.

As for the port, Dudy said the government was also preparing the construction of a new port in the same area. The development of this infrastructure is to support food distribution routes through sea transportation.

With the new airports and ports, the government hopes that the food distribution chain from South Papua will be more integrated and able to support the success of the national self-sufficiency program.

"If the port has started, actually, because the initiation has started by Agrinas. Later it will be continued by the ministry," he said.