JAKARTA - The government is still finalizing plans to provide special fuel prices for fishermen and fish business actors, especially for vessels of 30 gross tons (GT) to 200 GT.
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said the policy would first be reported to President Prabowo Subianto before being decided.
"Yes, I will report to the President first. Special price, yes, special price," he told the media, Monday, July 13, before leaving for President Prabowo's residence in Hambalang, Bogor Regency.
Airlangga explained that so far fishermen operating vessels under 30 GT have enjoyed subsidized fuel at a price of around Rp6,800 per liter.
The scheme being prepared by the government is intended for fishermen who own boats measuring 30 GT to 200 GT who are still using non-subsidized fuel.
"Fishermen have received a subsidized price of Rp. 6,800/liter, but that is their boat under 30 GT. (special fuel price) this (for fishermen) is 30 GT to 200 GT," he said.
He added that the discussion of special pricing was the government's response to the high volatility of world oil prices which had an impact on increasing the operational costs of the fisheries sector.
"Always (caused by the price of oil) because the price (of oil) is too volatile," he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Yuliot Tanjung said the government was also calculating the fuel needs for the fisheries sector and the availability of supplies until the end of 2026.
According to him, the fuel needs for fishermen are estimated to reach around 400 thousand kiloliters. "So, we are calculating again how much the needs for the fishermen and also how the availability of fuel until the end of the year. So, for the fishermen we need about 400 thousand kiloliters more," he said.
He emphasized that the special price amount was still under discussion and the government was also considering the difference between the schemes between ships under 30 GT that had obtained subsidized fuel and ships over 30 GT that still used non-subsidized fuel.
"The (specific) price has not been decided, so there are two first, there are subsidies below 30 GT and there are also non-subsidies above 30 GT. So, this is still being discussed with the Coordinating Minister," he said.
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