Indonesia's border regions, such as Entikong (West Kalimantan), Atambua (East Nusa Tenggara), and Nunukan (North Kalimantan), play a strategic role in maintaining national sovereignty and food security. However, logistical distribution challenges in these areas remain a major barrier to ensuring the availability of essential goods for local communities.
Dependence on Imported Products
In Nunukan, border communities have long relied on Malaysian products such as granulated sugar, wheat flour, meat, and fish. This is mainly due to limited domestic supply caused by transportation issues. Although the supply of domestic goods has started to improve, the habit of consuming imported products remains difficult to break.
Smuggling and Uncompetitive Prices
The rampant smuggling of goods from Malaysia into Nunukan threatens the Sea Toll program, which aims to distribute essential commodities to border areas. Subsidized imported goods entering illegally are often cheaper than domestic products subject to taxation, prompting communities to prefer imports.
Border Restrictions and Their Impact
Malaysia's tightening of its border controls has disrupted the supply of goods to areas like Krayan. This has led to a surge in the prices of basic necessities—for instance, the price of granulated sugar rose from IDR 23,000 to IDR 28,000–30,000 per kilogram. This demonstrates how vulnerable food security in border regions can be to policy changes in neighboring countries.
Infrastructure Limitations and Inflation
The distribution of essential goods in North Kalimantan, including Nunukan, faces geographic and infrastructure constraints. These challenges contribute to inflation in the area, with Nunukan recording a 0.28% inflation rate in May 2024. Heavy reliance on sea and air routes makes distribution costs significantly higher.
PT Salam Pacific Indonesia Lines (SPIL) plays a key role in addressing logistical distribution challenges in border regions. Through its integrated logistics services—covering both sea and land transportation—SPIL ensures smooth distribution of goods even to remote areas.
The presence of a SPIL branch office in Nunukan, located on Jl. Tien Soharto, East Nunukan, facilitates coordination and logistics operations in the region. Backed by adequate infrastructure and fleet capacity, SPIL is able to reach otherwise inaccessible areas, thereby supporting the availability of basic goods and boosting the local economy.
Safeguarding food supplies in border areas like Entikong, Atambua, and Nunukan requires a collaborative effort between the government, businesses, and local communities. By overcoming distribution challenges, reducing reliance on imported goods, and utilizing logistics services from companies like PT SPIL, food security and economic resilience in these regions can be strengthened—ultimately reinforcing national sovereignty.
