TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government stated that residents living in the Indonesia-Malaysia border area in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, have reduced their dependence on foreign products as a result of the government’s sea toll road program.
“The sea toll road program successfully reduced people’s dependence on Malaysian products by up to 20 percent on Sebatik Island,” said Hasan Basri, the head of domestic trade of Nunukan's Trade Agency in Nunukan today.
Read: Sea Toll Road Expected to Reduce Malaysian Products
Prior to the introduction of the sea toll road program, illegal products originating from Negeri Sabah, Malaysia, had fulfilled 80 percent of the locals' needs. However, the program managed to jack up the popularity of Indonesian domestic products among residents living in border areas.
Despite the government’s success in reducing people's dependence on foreign products, Hasan Basri said the prices of domestic products were still relatively more expensive than those of Malaysia.
The products distributed to Indonesian border regions through the sea toll program are directly transported from Surabaya, East Java.
ANTARA
