TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – General Secretary of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Suryadi Sasmita, expressed his concern over the lack of ports in Indonesia after underlining the difficulty businesses have in moving goods to and from Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta.
“There should be a large port at Merak as an alternative,” he told Tempo yesterday.
Suryadi said that shipment activities are too concentrated in Jakarta, while the trip from Bakauheni to Jakarta is lengthy due to inadequate infrastructure supports.
“The queue line at the Merak and Bakauheni crossing is always lengthy,” he said.
Currently, Suryadi added, the main problem that must be addressed is moving goods to and from Sumatra. Therefore, additional ports would help to make distribution more efficient and cost-effective.
According to Chairman of the Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI) Zaldy Masita, the improvement of Sumatra’s west and east highway must be prioritized. According to Zaldy, better roads would reduce logistics cost by 50 percent.