Sabang asks for govt help to further develop
Aditya Suharmoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 05/19/2009 2:02 PM
Sabang needs government help to expand its free trade area in order to attract more investment, Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam (NAD) governor Irwandi Yusuf said Tuesday.
"We want the government to enact a regulation so that Sabang port can fully operate as it has great potential," he said in a seminar.
The investment needed to develop Sabang amounts to Rp 11.04 trillion, State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta said.
"But the local government can try to attract private investment, instead of relying on the state budget, which is fairly minimal," he said.
Sabang was declared a free trade and free port area in 2000 in an effort to accelerate development in the NAD province. From 2003 to 2009, the government has allocated Rp 1.2 trillion to support Sabang.
