Sawt Falasteen - Rising fuel prices strand hundreds of Indonesian fishermen

The price of subsidised fuel has remained unchanged but the cost of non-subsidised fuel, including industrial diesel, surged as high as 30,000 rupiah (about $1.73) per litre since last month, a steep increase from 14,000 to 23,000 rupiah before the hike.

Hundreds of fishermen held a protest in Pati, a coastal town in Central Java, on Monday demanding a lower price for the diesel that fuels their boats.

A fisherman working in Pati, Zen Zen Al Wijaini, said he cannot work because his boss, the boat owner, can't afford the fuel that accounts for 70 percent 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 told AFP on Friday.

State-owned gas and oil company Pertamina said last month the price increase was necessary due to 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 relax 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 Friday, 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 the 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," said Waluyo, a Pati fisherman who said he had gone into debt to afford fuel.

"Because, no matter what, the kitchen, our food, our stomachs, those needs can't wait," he told AFP on Thursday.

T.Khatib--SF-PST