Minister unveils Rp 63b diesel project for fishermen<\/p>\n
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri
\nannounced on Monday that the government would allocate Rp 63
\nbillion in a bid to keep the diesel price at ports at the level
\nof the ceiling price of Rp 1,890 (21 US cents) per liter set by
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
So far, a disparity exists between the ceiling price and the
\nactual retail price in fishing ports, due to the distance between
\ngas stations and the fishermen's boats.<\/p>\n
To address this problem, the ministry has allocated Rp 63
\nbillion to build small diesel depots in the next three months in
\nfishing ports, fish auction centers and fisherman's villages
\nthroughout Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The minister ceremoniously opened the first makeshift depot at
\nKali Adem, North Jakarta on Monday, in a ceremony attended by
\nofficials of his ministry, PT. Pertamina and the Indonesian
\nFishermen's Association (HNSI), while several fishermen looked
\non.<\/p>\n
Yan Winatasasmita, chief of the Jakarta chapter of HNSI who
\nalso attended the ceremony said that the association would
\ncontinue to negotiate with the government to fix the price for
\ndiesel at Rp 1,600 for the fishermen.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, HNSI will cooperate with the fisheries
\nministry. \"We have the Perikanan Minajaya cooperative to handle
\nthe diesel distribution,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For the fishermen in Kali Adem, however, the small depot does
\nnot immediately solve their problems.<\/p>\n
In Kali Adem in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, fishermen who use
\nsmall boats have to buy diesel at Rp 2,200 per liter at several
\nstalls around the port.<\/p>\n
The nearest gas station for the fishermen in Kali Adem is
\nlocated in the Muara Angke auction center, about one kilometer
\naway from their port. Although the price at the station is Rp
\n1,890, the Kali Adem fishermen have to spend extra costs for
\ntransporting the diesel to their boats.<\/p>\n
Thus they prefer to buy the diesel at nearby stalls. Moreover,
\nthe stall owners allow the fishermen to pay for the diesel later,
\nafter they sell their catch.<\/p>\n
Diah, owner of a small boat, said that when the weather was
\ngood enough to go to sea he usually bought about ten liters of
\ndiesel at the nearby stall. After the launch of the depot, he
\nwould still continue to buy the diesel from that stall although
\nthe price was higher, he said.<\/p>\n
\"I still have debts with the owner. And I prefer to buy there
\nbecause he allows me to buy on credit. If the government depot
\nallows me to pay later, I will buy the diesel from the depot,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that at present, the fishermen were out of money so
\nthey could not buy diesel from the depot.<\/p>\n
\"Last night, an official from HNSI came bay, summoning 12 of
\nthe fishermen's representatives to discuss the establishment of
\nthis depot. We told him that we did not have any money to buy
\ndiesel in cash, so it would be useless to build a depot. But
\ntoday, they are launching it anyway,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Gani, owner of 30 vessels in Kali Adem also did not
\nshow any enthusiasm towards the new facility. \"Unlike small-boat
\nfishermen who buy ten liters of diesel every day, I usually buy
\ndiesel in large amounts, at least 700 liters, from a supplier. He
\nalways sells the diesel to us at the government price. So for me
\nthe new station does not make any difference,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that his fishing business has been sluggish for the
\npast seven months. The diesel price hike made it worse, so he had
\nhalted operations for 30 of his vessels.<\/p>\n
\"I would like to sell my vessels and start another business.
\nAt present, I already have many debts because of the increasing
\nexpenses in the fishing business,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/minister-unveils-rp-63b-diesel-project-for-fishermen-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}