Heaptalk, Jakarta — Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi stated that one of the main goals of the Sea Toll program is to reduce price disparities for goods in various regions, particularly in Eastern Indonesia, which has long experienced significant price differences compared to the western areas.
“With the Sea Toll, the prices of basic goods can drop by up to 30%, especially in 3TP areas (underdeveloped, remote, outermost, and border regions). This greatly helps reduce inflation and improve the welfare of the people,” Budi explained during the Merdeka Barat 9 Forum (FMB9) Dialogue, which adopted the theme ’10 Years of Connecting Indonesia for Equitable Justice’ in Central Jakarta.
This achievement is inseparable from the significant increase in connectivity. Currently, the Sea Toll connects 115 ports across Indonesia with 39 active routes, speeding up the distribution of goods to previously hard-to-reach areas. According to Budi, the program creates equitable distribution of goods in previously isolated regions. For example, people in Papua and Maluku, who used to struggle to obtain necessities, can now access more stable and affordable goods.
This program also plays a crucial role in developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in these areas. According to him, products such as fish from Maluku, seaweed from Nusa Tenggara, and rice from Merauke can now be more easily distributed across Indonesia.
The Sea Toll also contributes to economic growth in 3TP regions. In some areas, such as East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Papua, the Sea Toll has opened new economic opportunities even though they are still classified as the poorest regions. Budi added, “Kupang, for example, now has small industries growing along with the ease of distribution access provided by the Sea Toll. This is an important first step in reducing development disparities between regions.”
With the achievements over the past ten years, this program is expected to continue expanding and improving. The government plans to add new routes and strengthen national logistics integration with the Sea Toll. “We are targeting an increase in routes by 10-25% in the coming years, especially for regions that have not yet been optimally reached,” the Minister of Transportation concluded.
