Scarcity of basic necessities occurs in remote islands often due to bad weather and high waves that prevent ships, with basic items, from sailing to the islandsTanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - Riau Islands Province should take precautionary measures to ensure no scarcity of basic necessities in the province's remote islands, Tanjungpinang's Raja Ali Haji Maritime University's economy observer Dodi Dermawan stated.
"Scarcity of basic necessities occurs in remote islands often due to bad weather and high waves that prevent ships, with basic items, from sailing to the islands," Dermawan remarked in Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands Province on Wednesday.
A shortage of basic necessities often occurred in remote regions, such as Tambelan Subdistrict and the Natuna, Anambas, and Lingga islands, for which precautionary measures are necessary on account of the province's inability to fulfil basic needs, according to Dermawan.
The observer noted that the basic necessities of Riau Islands’ residents were supplied from the provinces of West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Lampung, and some regions in Java Island. Other foods, such as rice grain and frozen meat, were imported.
The current situation would be inconvenient for residents in the long run, and the authority should ensure the availability of stocks of basic necessities in the province to prevent scarcity in future, he emphasized.
Dermawan put forth two suggestions to address the ongoing issue in the form of constructing a central food storage in the province and procuring new larger ships for ensuring the supply of basic needs.
He called on the regional-owned companies to construct and operate the storage in future. He also drew attention to the State Logistics Agency's (Bulog) role to ensure the availability of basic foods throughout the year in the province.
Dermawan also proposed the procurement of new larger ships by the government or private investors for the province. A larger ship would be able to sail to remote islands despite bad weather and high waves, he noted.
Apart from the two suggestions, he also called on the authority to implement a food resilience program by encouraging farmers to cultivate rice and vegetable crops and start poultry and cattle farms.
The proposed food resilience program aims to ensure the availability of food for the residents throughout the year and maintain regional economic stability, he affirmed.
"The authority should take into account the conditions on the islands to determine the sustainability of the food resilience program," Dermawan pointed out.
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Translator: Nikolas P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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