Purwokerto (ANTARA) - Maritime historian from the University of\nIndonesia (UI), Prof.\u00a0Susanto Zuhdi, believes that the Cilacap Port has\nan important role in supporting the development of the southern Central\nJava (Jateng) region as a national food buffer by strengthening\nlogistical connectivity, trade, and the distribution of agricultural\nproducts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we look at its history, the Cilacap Port is not just an ordinary\nperipheral area. From being initially considered terra incognita, this\narea has developed into a well-known port on the southern coast of Java\nand has strong economic ties with the inland regions,\u201d he said in\nPurwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Friday.<\/p>\n
He said that the development of the Cilacap Port cannot be separated\nfrom its geographical position, which is connected to several hinterland\nareas, starting from the former Banyumas, Bagelen, and parts of East\nPriangan, which have long been centres of agricultural and plantation\nproduction.<\/p>\n
In the early stages, he said, shipping and trade activities of\ncoastal communities developed through the Donan, Citanduy, Serayu\nrivers, and other rivers that served as transportation routes from the\ncoast to the interior and vice versa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis port grew from the needs of coastal communities, Segara Anakan\nfishermen, and inland communities who used the river network as a means\nof economic transportation,\u201d said the man from Banyumas.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he said, the role of the Cilacap Port was further\nstrengthened during the Cultuurstelsel period since 1830 when the\ncolonial government made it one of the routes for transporting cash\ncrops or commercial crops such as coffee, sugar, and indigo from the\nsouthern Java region or Jasela.<\/p>\n
According to him, the port\u2019s heyday reached its peak in the period of\n1888 to 1930 after being connected to the Yogyakarta-Cilacap railway\nline and the Serayu Valley steam tram network which connected Cilacap\nwith Purwokerto, Sokaraja, Banjarnegara, to Wonosobo.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that time, Cilacap became a dominant export port. Commodities\nsuch as sugar, coffee, tobacco, and copra were transported through the\nrail network and directly connected to the port,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, he said, the development of land transportation networks and\nrailways to ports on the north coast of Java was one of the factors that\nreduced the strategic role of the Cilacap Port.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expansion of road and railway networks became a factor in the\ndecline of the Cilacap Port because cash crops and other goods could be\ntransported more easily to ports on the north coast of Java,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Despite this, he believes that the Cilacap Port, especially the\nTanjung Intan Port, still has great potential to play a strategic role\nagain along with the development of industrial, agro-maritime, and\nlogistics areas in the southern Central Java region.<\/p>\n
He said that the port\u2019s master plan, which has been established by\nthe government, and the development of regional spatial planning provide\nspace for increasing port service capacity in Cilacap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strategic role of Tanjung Intan in the future is to support the\ndevelopment of agro-maritime production in the hinterland and coastal\nareas of Jasela and support Jasela as a national food buffer,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to him, efforts to revive the role of the Cilacap Port are\nnot just about repeating the glories of the past, but about creating a\nnew history that is relevant to the challenges of sustainable\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is not whether history will repeat itself, but how we\ncreate our own history in the future,\u201d said Susanto.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/historian-cilacap-port-is-important-for-the-connectivity-of-southern-central-java-1780563265", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }