Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Public Works has pledged to reduce Indonesia’s reliance on imported asphalt for toll roads by maximizing the use of supplies from Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi, through the Red and White Asphalt program.“To that end, I hope toll road business entities support and participate in the policy promoting the use of Buton asphalt while maintaining technical and academic feasibility. All stakeholders must align their steps,” Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said in Jakarta on Thursday.The ministry has been striving to boost the use of Buton materials in asphalt blends for toll road construction to build national self-reliance and improve efficiency in infrastructure development.To support the initiative, Hanggodo issued a 2026 ministerial regulation on the use of Buton asphalt for road construction and maintenance. The regulation covers technical guidelines, procurement, oversight, evaluation, and reporting, as well as incentives.Additionally, the minister enacted a decree advocating Buton asphalt for road construction and preservation for the 2026–2029 period. He sets gradual targets for increasing the proportion of Buton materials in asphalt blends and regulates substitution mechanisms.Under the Red and White Asphalt program, the government has developed A30 asphalt, a blend made entirely from domestic materials comprising 30 percent Buton bitumen and 70 percent petroleum-based materials refined by state-owned energy company Pertamina.The A30 blend marks a significant increase from the previous average Buton asphalt content of around 4 percent, representing a huge step toward the long-term goal of producing A100 asphalt made entirely from Buton materials.The initiative is projected to save Rp4.08 trillion, or more than US$220 million, in foreign exchange each year.Hanggodo emphasized that the policy must not lead to higher construction costs, stressing that its primary objective is to improve efficiency.