Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) stated that fishermen still face difficulties in accessing subsidized fuel.

"Despite that, challenges in the field still arise, especially related to uneven distribution and access that is not entirely easy for fishermen," said the Director General of Capture Fisheries, Lotharia Latif, through a written statement on Friday, April 24, 2026.

However, despite receiving subsidized fuel facilities and no price hike, fishermen still face access barriers.

Therefore, Latif emphasized the importance of improving distribution governance to ensure that subsidized fuel reaches the intended targets. He also pushed for changes to Presidential Regulation Number 191 of 2014 concerning the Provision, Distribution, and Retail Price of Fuel Oil.

As a short-term effort, Latif stated that KKP will soon coordinate with the Ministry of Transportation regarding several technical obstacles, including the transportation of fuel and fish carrier vessels.

Latif made this statement while presenting the results of discussions with associations, fishermen groups, fisheries entrepreneurs, and ministries/agencies proposing a special fuel scheme due to the increase in non-subsidized gasoline prices.

Latif says that proposing a special scheme is a strategic solution for maintaining the sustainability of capture fisheries. Moreover, he said, 70 percent of operational costs at sea come from fuel. Thus, the potential increase in non-subsidized fuel prices could reduce the income of fishermen and entrepreneurs.

Regarding the proposal of special fuel prices for fishing businesses, Latif revealed that the government and business entities have held cross-sectoral coordination meetings. The meeting was conducted by the National Development Planning Agency, Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency, PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, Ministry of Transportation, Coordinating Ministry for Food, Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and Ministry of Finance. Latif said the results of the meeting proposal have been submitted to the government for immediate follow-up.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2100314/indonesian-fishermen-struggle-to-access-subsidized-fue