Fuel scarcity causes massive lay-offs<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
Yuswandi, 40, a shrimp farm worker, seems bewildered. He and
\nhis colleagues have been traveling back and forth between South
\nLampung and Bandarlampung for the past week expressing their
\ngrievances to Lampung legislators. They have not worked for the
\npast month because their employer has had to stop operations due
\nto the shortage of diesel fuel.<\/p>\n
Yuswandi is one of the thousands of shrimp farm workers
\nrendered jobless as farm owners have been forced to close down
\ntheir farms because they could no longer obtain diesel fuel
\nfollowing the fuel price increases.<\/p>\n
Diesel fuel is still available at gas stations in Lampung
\nprovince at the moment. However, small-scale shrimp farmers have
\nto buy it at the industrial price, which is more costly, and
\nfurthermore, have to go through complicated bureaucratic
\nprocedures to obtain a permit from state oil company Pertamina.
\nThousands of traditional shrimp farmers in South and East Lampung
\nregencies have been forced to shut down their ponds due to the
\nfuel shortage. Of the hundreds of shrimp farms in South Lampung,
\nonly 10 survive. The rest have gone bankrupt.<\/p>\n
A shrimp farmer from Padangcermin, Edi Prasetyo, 37, said that
\nhis business was on the brink of collapse because he could no
\nlonger afford to buy diesel. He said that a 10-hectare farm uses
\n400 liters to 600 liters of diesel per day.<\/p>\n
\"Diesel fuel is absolutely essential for an intensive shrimp
\nfarm to activate water pumps, water wheels and for lighting,
\nwithout which it cannot operate,\" said Edi.<\/p>\n
Edi, who employs 50 workers, said that it wasn't just farm
\nworkers who were affected by the closures, but also other related
\nbusinesses, such as the shrimp feed industry and shrimp fry
\nhatcheries. The closures would also have a negative impact on
\nstate revenues because 90 percent of the shrimps in Lampung are
\nexported,\" said Edi.<\/p>\n
Marketing manager at the Pertamina depot in Panjang,
\nBandarlampung, Walijanto, said that his office would issue diesel
\nprocurement permits to shrimp farmers at the industrial price to
\nhelp the farmers overcome the crisis.<\/p>\n
The shrimp industry is important to the Lampung economy,
\nproviding large revenues for the province. In 2003, the export
\nvalue for shrimps reached US$141 million, a significant increase
\ncompared to the value in 2002 of $72.3 million. In 2004, the
\nexport volume of frozen shrimps from Lampung reached 150,000 tons
\nwith a total value of $150 million.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fuel-scarcity-causes-massive-lay-offs-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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