BANYUASIN (BINA MARGA) - President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo instructed the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing to use asphalt (mixed) expanded rubber.

According to information on national rubber commodity prices are down even had touched Rp. 5000 per kilogram. Various steps have been taken by the government including negotiations with Malaysia and Thailand which are the largest rubber producers besides Indonesia.

"The world economy is not yet normal but specifically for rubber we have tried. The world's biggest (rubber) producers are Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. We have had discussions with Malaysia and Thailand so that two weeks ago rubber prices have started to rise," the president said.

Then in the country, the president wants the use of rubber for asphalt mixture in Bina Marga's infrastructure work as a step to absorb domestic rubber commodities. This was said by the President in front of hundreds of rubber farmers at the Rubber Research Center, Kec. Sembawa (9/03), Kab. Banyuasin, South Sumatra.

On the same occasion the Head of the National Road Implementation Center V, KGS Saeful Anwar, said that since 2018, in South Sumatra, rubber asphalt has been tested on the Muara Beliti-Tebing Tinggi-Bts section. Lahat City, South Sumatra along 4.37 km of the total length of 183 km.

"The section is in the middle of the South Sumatra province and was chosen as a location for testing rubber asphalt because the traffic intensity is lower than other main lines," he explained.

Saeful said that after a year, his party considered rubber asphalt to have several advantages, namely to improve asphalt mixture, crack resistance, and resistance to groove deformation.

According to data collected by Bina Marga, this year along the 65.79 Km National Road will use asphalt pavement with a total demand of 2542.20 tons for asphalt, 177, 95 tons of rubber, and 355.91 processed materials for community rubber (Bokar). The application of rubber asphalt will be carried out in North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

It must be admitted that the use of rubber for asphalt mixture is still small and still in the testing phase. So the president wants regional roads to also use rubber asphalt. "I command all regencies and provinces in Indonesia to use rubber asphalt," Jokowi said, accompanied by cheers from rubber farmers.

However, the President has not been able to ascertain the rubber requirements that are needed if applied in all road classes in Indonesia. "The Minister of PUPR will later count," he explained. (Ian)