Jakarta, May 20 (Antara) - Public consumption of commodities, particularly basic necessities, during the fasting month of Ramadan is relatively high, and so distribution of logistics to meet the needs of the people must be smooth.
Delays in goods deliveries will have an impact on logistics costs, thus driving up commodity prices. Prices in the face of next week's fasting month have been showing an upward trend.
The Head of National Police's (Polri's) Food Task Force, Inspector General Setyo Wasisto, noted food prices were increasing outside Java, notably in Southeast Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Gorontalo and East Nusa Tenggara.
Apart from those outside Java, the stability of prices should be maintained, especially in Jakarta and Java. One of the facilities which play an important role in logistics distribution is the Cikarang Dry Port (CDP) located in a strategic place and the largest manufacturing area in West Java and Indonesia.
The CDP is a public dry port serving as the extension of Tanjung Priok Seaport, offering one stop service for cargo handling and logistics solution for international import and exports, as well as domestic distribution.
Managed by PT Cikarang Inland Port, the CDP is ready to support the national logistics during the fasting month, until the post-fasting Lebaran 2017 festivities, in anticipation of the rising public consumption.
Benny Woenardi, Director of Cikarang Dry Port, in Jakarta, Wednesday (May 17), remarked that ahead of Ramadan and Eid el-Fitr festival or Lebaran, there was always a surge in the level of public consumption that pushed up the flow of logistics.
"Unfortunately, on the other hand, the flow of people traveling during the 'mudik' (traveling to hometown for Lebaran celebration) season restricts truck traffic on the highway," he said.
In this regard, CDP has made various preparations to ensure the smooth flow of national logistics for the Lebaran 2017 season. One of the measures undertaken by CDP, according to Woenardi, was to increase the flow of goods through railway trains.
Container freight trains between Cikarang Dry Port and Tanjung Priok Port have been in operation since April 2016 to anticipate the high volume of logistics traffic in this Lebaran season.
Thus, the connectivity between the port of Tanjung Priok with the industrial area through Cikarang Dry Port is maintained without disturbing the flow of homecoming Lebaran travelers on the highways and toll roads.
"For domestic distribution, we are also running domestic freight container trains for the Cikarang Dry Port route to Surabaya, East Java," he revealed.
Since early 2017, Cikarang Dry Port has developed and implemented the concept of "smart port" to accelerate the flow of goods in and out, Woenardi mentioned. This is done by applying an auto gate system, e-DO, e-Billing and e-Payment under one roof connected with the port service system, customs, quarantine, and bank.
The system, according to him, can directly identify if the importer has completed the administrative procedures for the voyage without the need to carry e-DO documents directly.
"When combined with the auto gate system, this will simplify and accelerate the release of goods," he affirmed.
To support the concept of smart port in the future, Cikarang Dry Port will also launch android and iOS-based mobile applications. This application will facilitate service users to track container, check the bill, place orders, as well as check the ship and train schedule.
"This will make it easier for service users to manage their logistics activities using their smart phones, whenever and wherever, also it will be the first step toward a paperless system," he observed.
Meanwhile, General Manager for Commercial Affairs of PT Cikarang Inland Port Imam Wahyudi stated that the increase of goods flow usually occurred at the beginning of fasting, until mid-Ramadan because in general the service user of the dry port is pursuing exports before Lebaran.
The domestic distribution with freight container trains for Cikarang Dry Port-Surabaya route on weekdays is conducted in just one trip. However, during the fasting month, until Lebaran, it is increased to two trips, he explained.
"The logistics trains carry 30 container carriages weighing 60 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) one way. Therefore, in two trips, the trains are able to carry 260 TEUs," he said.
In the meantime, Inspector General Setyo Wasisto acknowledged food prices were increasing. Several food items whose prices have increased include broiler chicken meat, red pepper, garlic and chicken eggs, Setyo said in a press release from the Police Public Relations Division received in Jakarta, Friday.
The price increase was due to long distribution chain and high cost, pushing the food prices above the national average, he pointed out.
"When they reach the consumers' level, the commodity prices are already high and above the national average price," noted Setyo, who now serves as head of the Police Public Relations Division of the National Police (Polri).
However, the food stocks are stable and will be secure up to the Idul Adha 2017 Lebaran day, he maintained.
Polri's Food Task Force is working with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Trade and the Supervisory and Business Competition Commission (KPPU), to suppress food price volatility, he emphasized. ***3***(A014/INE)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 20-05-2017 20:05 |
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