"The cattle can become exhausted during the journey from East Nusa Tenggara to Jakarta after enduring lengthy periods of transportation, not to mention the small spaces on trucks," the president stated in his remarks at a shipyard in Bangkalan, Madura, according to a press statement from the Presidential Communication Team, here Tuesday.
The president delivered the statement after launching special livestock transport ships: KM Camara Nusantara 1 DWT 750 connecting ship, KM Sabuk Nusantara 55, and KM Sabuk Nusantara 56.
The president is optimistic that the new transport ships built at par with international standards would ensure the smooth flow of goods and livestock from provinces to cities.
"With cheaper transportation costs, we can compete as we are always loosing due to high transportation costs once the goods enter Jakarta," the president stated.
President Jokowi also mentioned that Australian cattle have a price advantage due to cheap transportation costs since several people have forgotten that two-third of Indonesias area is water and comprises 17 thousand islands.
"Even Italian President Mattarela was impressed by the number of Indonesian islands and the large population that reached 250 million," noted the president.
"This is in accordance with the sea toll project through which we are targeting to connect small islands. We will launch them one by one," stated the president.
The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation has ordered 200 ships this year, 160 next year, and the year after, the ministry will order additional ships on a regular basis to ensure the smooth distribution of logistics in the country.
"Prices also reduce due to cheap sea freight," stated the president.
As an illustration, the president explained that in Puncak Jayawijaya, Papua, the price of a sack of cement is Rp2.2 million due to the poorly managed logistics distribution system.
"We believe it will strengthen the sea toll project and help to transform Indonesia into a maritime axis. The distribution and flow of goods are being increasingly improved," added President Jokowi.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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