Merauke Has Rice Barn And Sea Toll Road, Minister Of Transportation Budi: Eastern Indonesia No Longer Depends On Supply From Java

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi said that the eastern part of Indonesia would no longer depend on rice supplies from the island of Java. This is because in Merauke a rice barn has been built which is estimated to be able to meet the rice needs in the eastern region.

According to Budi, the existence of the rice barn is expected to reduce the number of container shipments from west to east. Later, said Budi, the government will encourage shipments from east to west. This is in line with the construction of the sea highway project and the inauguration of the merger or merger of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero).

"The sea highway that we specifically built will find ports and it is hoped that in accordance with the President's direction, rice will no longer come from Java, meaning that transportation from west to east will decrease, and from east to west it will start," he said at the inauguration of the Pelindo I-I merger. IV at the Wae Kelambu Multipurpose Terminal at Labuan Bajo Port, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, Thursday, October 14.

The construction of the marine highway project and the merger of state-owned companies, said Budi, were not carried out in an easy way. In fact, the process also takes quite a long time. However, with the cooperation of all stakeholders the project can be completed on time.

Furthermore, Budi also admitted that he was optimistic that with the existence of rice barns and easy distribution of logistics, food sovereignty in the eastern region could be achieved soon.

"The president has directed that the rice barn should meet all needs in eastern Indonesia, we have done it in Papua, and in NTT it has started," he said.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the merger of Pelindo I, II, III, and IV would reduce logistics costs. This is because logistics costs in Indonesia are still high when compared to other countries, which are in the range of 12 percent.

"We know that our country's logistics costs compared to our neighboring countries are still far behind, we are lagging behind. Their logistics costs are only 12 percent more or less, we are still 23 percent. This means that there is something inefficient in our country," said Jokowi.