Rising fuel prices strand hundreds of Indonesian fishermen
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Fishing boats docked ashore at a port in Juwana, Central Java, on May 6.
PHOTO: AFP
JAKARTA – Hundreds of fishermen in an Indonesian coastal town on the island of Java have been forced to stop going out to sea, and they told AFP their livelihoods are at risk because of soaring fuel prices.
The price of subsidised fuel has remained unchanged but the cost of non-subsidised fuel, including industrial diesel, has surged to as high as 30,000 rupiah (S$2.20) per litre since April, a steep rise from 14,000 rupiah to 23,000 rupiah before the hike.
Hundreds of fishermen held a protest in Pati, a coastal town in Central Java, on May 4 demanding a lower price for the diesel that fuels their boats.
A fisherman working in Pati, Mr Zen Zen Al Wijaini, said he cannot work because his boss, the boat owner, cannot afford the fuel that accounts for 70 per cent of operational costs.
“So, we can’t earn (a living) for our families because the operational costs are so high. We end up just unemployed at home,” the 40-year-old said on May 7.
State-owned gas and oil company Pertamina said in April that the price increase was necessary because of geopolitical conditions, referring to the Middle East war that has driven up global oil prices.
Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi said he would plead with Jakarta to ease the price of non-subsidised fuel.
“If fishermen can’t go out to sea, the implications are far-reaching,” he said during a meeting with fishermen on May 8, according to the government’s website. “Fish production will be disrupted, fish prices may rise, inflation can be affected, and the economic ecosystem in port areas will also be disturbed.”
The Indonesian Fishermen’s Association in Central Java said most of the 1,600 fishing vessels moored along Juwana River in Pati have ceased operating.
“As a fisherman... I really, truly beg for a reduction in the price of non-subsidised fuel for fishermen,” Mr Waluyo, a Pati fisherman who said he had gone into debt to afford fuel, said on May 7.
“Because, no matter what, the kitchen, our food, our stomachs – those needs can’t wait.” AFP
