Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A total of 22 districts across Indonesia have applied the one-price fuel policy until mid-August 2017, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan.

The one-price fuel program was the governments strong commitment, the minister noted in a statement here, Wednesday.

President Joko Widodo had instructed Jonan to issue a ministerial regulation on the one-price policy for RON 88 premium and 48 Diesel.

The 22 districts include Puncak, Duga, Yalimo, Mamberamo Raya, Central Mamberamo, Tolikara, Intan Jaya, and Paniai Districts in Papua; Pegunungan Arafak and South Sorong Districts in West Papua Province; and Morotai District in North Maluku Province.

The rest are Nunukan District in North Kalimantan, South Nias District in North Sumatra, Mentawai Islands District in West Sumatra, Jepara District in Central Java, Sumenep in East Java, Sumbawa District in West Nusa Tenggara, East Sumba District in East Nusa Tenggara, Wakatobi District in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Mahakam Hulu in East Kalimantan Province, Bengkayang District in West Kalimantan, and Talaud Islands District in North Sulawesi.

These districts are located in the regions considered as 3Ts: the outermost, foremost, and most backward. The government has paid additional attention to those regions.

The absence of adequate infrastructure in these regions is a heavy challenge in implementing the one-price fuel program in the 3Ts regions.

"One of the obstacles is infrastructure. Some have to be flown by aircraft. The second (challenge) is cooperation among concerned stakeholders in those respective regions to materialize the one-price fuel availability there," he noted.

In accordance with the governments One-Price Fuel Road Map, it has planned to operate 150 supply agents by 2019. There will be 54 suppliers in 2017, 50 in 2018, and 46 in 2019.

The one-price fuel policy is expected to help boost the local economy in those areas.

So far, the normal price of premium is Rp6,450 per liter and diesel is Rp5,150 per liter. However, in several remote areas, the prices increase from Rp8 thousand to Rp100 thousand per liter.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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