President Jokowi Visits Fisheries Seaport in Merauke

Photo caption: President Joko Widodo visits Merauke Ocean Seaport, West Papua on Wednesday (30/12). (Photo by: Bureau of Press, Media and Information of the Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on Wednesday (30/12) visited Pelabuhan Perikanan Samudera Merauke/PPSM (Merauke Ocean Fisheries Seaport).?

During the visit to the seaport, the President pledged that the Government would inject funds to finalize the construction of the seaport that has started since 2010 but halted due to funding issues.

According to the President, fisheries potentials in Merauke waters are very huge and so far the products are sold to Surabaya or exported to other countries.

President Jokowi also believes that after the construction of the seaport is finished, processing industries will be available in the region.

“If the seaport is ready, investors will also be ready,” the President said.

President Jokowi went on to say that the Government through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries would buy 3.400 units of fisherman boats, which will be distributed to fishermen all over country, including for fishermen in Merauke.

“The Government’s duty is to provide good seaports so that fishermen can catch more fish. There is a relation (between a good seaport and the amount of fish that can be caught),” the President said.

As planned, the seaport will have a length of 350 meters; yet only 250 meters that have been completed.

President Jokowi further said that one of the barriers in the construction process is the fact that the materials needed are bought from outside Merauke, for example sands and stones are bought from Palu.

The President hopes that in 2016, the seaport can operate and serve as the gate of exports for fish produced in Merauke waters, which has quite significant fisheries potentials.

However, the President stressed that the most important thing is to cut distribution costs.

?”The key is the seaport so that the costs of logistics distribution can be lowered,” the President said.

In the meantime, all the barriers in the construction process, the President added, will be immediately coordinated with the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing and the Ministry of  Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in order to find the solutions.

?As for the budget for the construction until 2015, it is taken from Merauke regional budget (Rp.89 billion) and the State Budget (Rp. 97.5 billion) and the total spending realization amounts to Rp.187 billion from the funding plan of the seaport master plan that amounts to Rp. 1.3 trillion.(TKP/ES) (EP/YM/Naster)