REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Natural Resources Rizal Ramli said he would design a concept of logistic air bridge as a follow up on the sea toll program in eastern Indonesia.

After a meeting on sea toll here on Monday asked his infrastructure and maritime deputy Ridwan Djamaluddin to immediately design the concept of logistic air bridge.

Sea toll project is a program promoted by President Joko Widodo to facilitate shipping between Indonesia's more developed western region and the eastern part of the country, which is far lagging behind in economic development.

The program is expected to bring modernity to the backward east of the country.

"We will ask Mr Ridwan to design the logistic air bridge concept. Sea toll program has succeeded but only in port areas, not in interior areas. There has been no transport facility to the interior and mountain areas," he said.

He said sea toll program has succeeded in bringing down prices of essential goods by 49 percent in port areas in eastern Indonesia notably in the regency of Maluku.

He acknowledged the difficulty in reaching people living in interior and mountainous areas that the price of essential goods supplied from other regions remained high.

"This needs good planning . Subsidy would also be needed to help the price down," he said.

Ridwan said he would carry out the order of the coordinating minister.

He said the impact of the sea toll program could yet reach the regions far from the port areas that a concept of multi mode of transport is needed.

He said he would seek cooperation from the military to utilize its Hercules aircraft to help in the distribution of goods to interior areas.

"We already made simulation to carry cement from Sorong to Puncak Jaya, where the cement price is as high as Rp1 million per sack," he said.

The price of cement in Jakarta is only Rp65,000 per sack, but it is Rp125,000 in Sorong and more than Rp1 million in Puncak Jaya.

"Hercules could carry up to 13.5 tons of cement and the transport cost is Rp30 million on return trip. With the simulation cement could be sold at a price of Rp375,000-Rp500,000 per sack at Puncak Timika in Puncak Jaya," he said.

He said the program would also help in utilizing the military aircraft for the public interest.

The coordinating meeting on sea toll was also attended by Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, President Director of the stated owned shipping company PT Pelni Elvien Goentoro, representatives of the transport ministry and industry ministry. 

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