"The fishermen`s fuel oil needs reach 2.5 million kiloliters a year and we want the fuel oils subsidized. However, Pertamina has so far only supplied 700,000 kiloliters or one-third of the needs and consequently, fuel oil shortage affects fishermen elsewhere in the country," he said when accompanying Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa during a working visit at Muara Angke fish market here on Wednesday.
Fadel asked the chief economic minister to help find solution to the problem so that the fuel oil quota for fishermen could be raised.
In response, Rajasa said fuel oil shortages affecting fishermen were something complicated. The fuel shortages posed a problem not only to Pertamina as fuel oil supplier but also to other relevant agencies.
Hatta said the main obstacle to the distribution of fuel oils to fishermen was leakage, thereby making fishermen unable to obtain fuel oils according to their needs.
"Admittedly, fuel oils for fishermen are something complicated, not to mention those smuggled out..... Some people act as if they were fishermen merely to get (subsidized) fuels for resale," he said.
Fadel said the other factor causing fuel shortages among fishermen was Pertamina`s regulation which gave fuel oil allotments to fishermen for one-month need.
(Uu.S012/H-NG/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
