Drought Disrupts Movement of Staple Foods
July 29, 2015
The prolonged drought has disrupted
the transportation of staple foods in a number of regions in Mahakam Ulu
regency, East Kalimantan, as the long absence of rain has led to a sharp
decrease in the level of the Mahakam
River between East Kutai and Mahakam Ulu.
As a result, the prices of staple foods in the regions have risen dramatically,
by up to Rp 20,000 (US$1.50) per item.
“What else can we do? The normal transportation cost is Rp 4 million per trip,
but now it has risen Rp 10 million as we have to use more, smaller, boats,”
said trader Hanyeq Lung of Ujoh Bilang, the regency capital.
During normal conditions, at a cost of Rp 4 million per trip, he could load
between 10 and 18 tons of staple foods from Samarinda on board a 15 to 20 gross
tons (GT) ship, he said.
It takes two days by ship to reach Ujoh Bilang.
As the dry season has been ongoing for four months, the water level in the
Mahakam River in Long Bagun, Mahakam Ulu, has dropped to between 3 and 3.5
meters. During the rainy season it is 6 meters deep, sufficient for a 15 GT
ship.
Overland, Long Bagun is about 400 kilometers to the northwest of Balikpapan,
the provincial capital of East Kalimantan.
Land transportation between Balikpapan and Ujoh Bilang and Long Bagun is
extremely limited. It is a 50-minute flight from Balikpapan to the Ujoh Bilang
pioneer airport.
“We unload in Long Bagun to reload on to smaller ships to be further
transported to Ujong Bilang. I have to prepare two extra ships to get to Ujoh
Bilang,” Hanyeq said.
These two ships, he explained, cost Rp 3 million each including for the loading
and unloading services.
“As a result I have to sell a pack of instant noodles for Rp 22,000 here,” said
Hanyeq.
The situation is much worse in the two districts of Long Apari and Long
Pahangai, located higher in the Mahakam Ulu’s upstream area, right at the
border with Sabah, Malaysia.
Responding to the conditions, acting Mahakam Ulu regent Fredrick Bid said that
his administration would help with the distribution of food to people living in
the hinterland.
“We also have a program of distributing free staple foods to people living in
the border areas,” Fredrick said, adding that the foods distributed included
rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt and flour.
There are five districts in Mahakam Ulu regency, which was formerly part of
West Kutai regency. It was established as a separate regency in 2012. The five
districts are Laham, Long Hubung, Long Bagun, Long Pahangai and Long Apari.
Covering an area of 15,315 square ilometers, Mahakam Ulu regency is home to a
population of 29,000, of whom 8,780 live in the regency capital.
The regency is rich in natural resources but has poor infrastructure. The main
economic activities are harvesting birds’ nests, cultivating rice, planting
rubber and making a living as fishermen or gold miners.
Fredrick said that limited infrastructure, especially transportation, had meant
the regency was unable to transport its products efficiently.
Even if it was capable of doing so, he said, it would not be able to compete
with the products from other regions.“At the same time, products from other
regions also have difficulties reaching here. When they do get here, the prices
are high, like what’s happening now,” Fredrick said.
Source: thejakartapost.com
