The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ministry informed that it is coordinating with the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH) and state-owned oil company PT Pertamina to obtain additional subsidized fuel quota for fishermen.
“We have asked fishermen’s fuel distribution to add the figures as an effort to prevent the accumulation of ships at fishing ports,” secretary general of KKP, Antam Novambar, said during a hearing meeting (RDP) with Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives here on Wednesday.
However, until now, there has been no certainty on the provision of additional subsidized fuel quota for fishermen, he added.
The KKP is also coordinating with the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) to obtain special prices for non-subsidized fuel for fishermen.
“We have coordinated to get fuel prices and increased quotas for fishermen,” Novambar informed.
The government, on its part, has continued to encourage the private sector and cooperatives to build gas stations for fishermen, he said.
The government has also continued to build an ownership system for fishing vessels to ensure faster and more targeted fuel distribution in simpler and easier stages, Novambar disclosed.
The KKP is committed to overseeing the revision of Presidential Regulation Number 191 of 2014 concerning the supply, distribution, and retail selling price of fuel, under which fishermen with fishing vessels of up to 30 GT are eligible for subsidized fuel, he said.
“This is our commitment. Fishermen with fishing vessels size above 30 GT are prohibited to buy subsidized fuel. It is very likely to be sold again,” Novambar emphasized.
In response to this, the chairman of Commission IV of DPR, Sudin, said that the commission has asked the KKP to play an active role in joint supervision with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to improve fuel distribution channels for fishermen’s cooperatives. This is needed to deliver subsidized fuel on target with no price manipulation by several parties.
“Especially in the seven locations that will be pilot projects for the Solar Program for Fisher Cooperatives, such as Loknga (Aceh), Deli Serdang (North Sumatra), Indramayu (West Java), Pekalongan and Semarang (Central Java), Surabaya (East Java), and East Lombok (NTB),” he added.
The commission has also asked the KKP to recalculate the compensation assistance due to the increase in fuel prices and ensure that fishermen receive it, Sudin said. (INE)
Source: Antara News