Smooth Roads Promote Regional Agriculture

Good quality roads have been proven to stimulate the agriculture sector in Liang Melas Datas, Karo regency. North Sumatra. On the other hand, damaged roads in Central Lampung are threatening the local economy.

KOMPAS/AUFRIDA WISMI WARASTRI

The condition of village roads that have been repaired in Liang Melas Datas, Karo Regency, North Sumatra, Wednesday (2/2/2022).

KABANJAHE, KOMPAS — After road repairs of more than a year in the area of Liang Melas Datas in Karo regency, North Sumatra, the local agriculture sector has been reinvigorated. The price of fertilizer has decreased drastically. The selling price of oranges, red chilies and other agricultural produce are rising. It is hoped that the road repairs, which now cover around 24 kilometers out of a total 38 kilometers, can be completed.

Work to harden and asphalt roads started in the agricultural center of Liang Melas Datas after representatives of the local community brought a gift consisting of 3 tonnes of oranges to the State Palace in Jakarta in December 2021. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo personally received the gift. Later, the President visited the region in February 2022. Last week, the President again visited the region to inspect the roads and remind local residents that damaged roads had been repaired in several parts of Sumatra, including North Labuhanbatu regency, North Sumatra.

“The roads in Liang Melas Datas have been repaired for over a year. What has been most felt is a drastic fall in the prices of fertilizer and building materials. The prices of agricultural produce are also rising as the cost of transportation declines,” Putra Salim Meliala, 34, a resident of Kutambelin village, Laubaleng district, said on Friday (19/5/2023).

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The region of Liang Melas Datas is located in the foothills of the Bukit Barisan Range, around 78 km from Kabanjahe, the capital of Karo regency. The area consists of six villages, which are Sukajulu, Kutambaru Punti, Batumamak, Pola Tebu, Kutambelin and Kuta Pengkih. In addition, there are the three hamlets of Barisan, Cerumbu and Kuta Kendit. The region spans the districts of Tiga Binanga, Laubaleng, Kuta Buluh and Mardinding.

Putra said 38 km of roads in Liang Melas Datas were asphalted in two phases. The roads yet to be asphalted extend from Kutabangun village to the tip of the region, past Kutambaru village. “We hope the asphalting will cover the whole span of the roads in Liang Melas Datas, so that all residents can enjoy it,” said Putra.

We hope the asphalting will cover the whole span of the roads in Liang Melas Datas, so that all residents can enjoy it.

Putra added that after the roads were asphalted, the local economy revitalized rapidly. No more trucks became trapped in mudholes. They also no longer had to reduce their load so they could pass damaged roads, which had sharp bends and steep inclines.

The time it took for trucks loaded with goods to travel from the villages to the Trans-Sumatra highway, which previously lasted four hours, had been reduced to only around 1.5 hours. They could deliver the agricultural produce to Medan within six hours, compared to nine hours previously.

KOMPAS/AUFRIDA WISMI WARASTRI

Village road conditions before being repaired in Liang Melas Datas, Karo Regency, North Sumatra, Wednesday (2/2/2022).

When the roads were in bad condition, the cost to deliver fertilizer from the Tiga Binanga district center to the villages was around Rp 20,000 per sack. After the repairs, it cost around Rp 12,000 per sack. “Carrying just 100 sacks already saves Rp 800,000 per trip,” noted Putra.

The prices of oranges and red chilies, the area’s main commodities, had also improved slightly, depending on market prices, as the prices of agricultural commodities are significantly affected by supply and demand. The price of oranges currently ranges from Rp 15,000 to Rp 18,000 per kilogram at the farm level.

However, the price of red chilies has dipped to around Rp 9,000 per kg. “Their transportation cost has decreased by around Rp 500 per kilogram,” said Putra.

The head of the Karo regency Agriculture Office, Matehsa Karo-Karo, acknowledged that agriculture in Liang Melas Datas had made rapid progress after the roads were repaired. Farmers were enthusiastically expanding their plantations, so production was increasing.

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The region is projected to become the orange production center of Karo. In other areas around Sinabung, the number of orange trees has decreased as they are replaced by coffee, which is more resistant to the ash from Mount Sinabung. “This year, we have set a target of orange plantation expansion in Liang Melas Datas to over 200 hectares,” said Matehsa.

Karo Public Works Office head Edward Pontianus Sinulingga said road repairs in Liang Melas Datas covered 18 km in the first phase and 6 km in the second phase. The remainder of around 14 km would be restored in the third phase. “The roads belong to the regency, but their repair is being funded by the state budget,” said Edward.

The regency administration is grateful to the President for his assistance in developing the local roads. Karo regency has a limited budget for repairing 1,214 km of local roads, and can only afford to allocate between Rp 70 billion and Rp 100 billion each year for roadwork.

Pending tender

In Central Lampung regency of Lampung province, a tender is still pending for repairs to the roads the President inspected on Friday (5/5/2023), and will be finalized in June 2023. For now, some potholed sections along the Simpang Randu-Rumbia road have been filled with stones.

“The road from Simpang Randu to Pasar Rumbia have been leveled with stones. Farther away, the road from Pasar Rumbia to Gaya Baru have also been filled with split stones, but many more potholes have been found,” Didi Iswanto, 54, a driver of a DAMRI bus plying the Bandar Lampung-Gaya Baru route, said when contacted in Bandar Lampung.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

President Joko Widodo accompanied by the Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan inspects the damaged road in Raman Nirwana Village, Seputih Raman District, Central Lampung Regency, Lampung, on Friday (5/5/2023).

The surface of roads in this section was leveled with stones three days before the President’s visit to Lampung. The leveled roads have made traffic along this section smoother. Traveling from Bandar Lampung to Gaya Baru, which used to take more than 12 hours, now takes just under 4 hours. “A DAMRI bus leaves Bandar Lampung at 4 p.m. and reaches Gaya Baru at 8 p.m. It’s the fastest route,” he said.

Made Rimbawa, the head of Swastika Buana village in Seputih Banyak district, Central Lampung, said local roads had been damaged decades ago. So far, the roadwork had only been piecemeal. Following the President’s visit, it was hoped that road quality would improve.

Rumbia road is one of the main routes to economic access for the local residents. The road facilitates conveyance, delivery of agricultural produce and public transportation. Every day, hundreds of vehicles like buses and trucks use the road to transport cassava and foodstuffs. The road also provides access to the Bratasena shrimp center in Tulang Bawang regency.

It’s the fastest route.

The secretary of the Indonesian Transportation Society’s Lampung branch, M. Abi Berkah Nadi, said damages to the roads in Lampung were caused not only by overloaded vehicles. Road repairs and maintenance tended to ignore the contours of the ground, thus making the roads prone to damage. Road development did not take into account a drainage system, either.

Abi added that the quality of road construction should be enhanced because Lampung was a vital point for conveyance and transportation, both interregional and provincial. For instance, the Kota Gajah-Seputih Banyak-Simpang Randu and Simpang Randu-Gaya Baru road sections needed to be made of concrete so they were not easily damaged when by heavy vehicles.

“As a solution, the characteristics of the [local terrain] should be studied first and the quality of construction be improved. After that, the regional administration should also issue rules on the [weight] of vehicles that are permitted to pass in order to prevent damage,” said Abi.

Lampung Transportation Office head Bambang Sumbogo said the Lampung provincial administration was mulling over a regulation that would allow it to take action against overloaded vehicles. So far, this was the sole authority of the central government.

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.