Jakarta, Feb 22 (Antara) - Indonesia needs to take advantage of its
marine and fisheries potentials and protect them from theft, which has
reached Rp30 trillion per year.
Since two-thirds of its area is water, including 104,000 kilometers of
shoreline, Indonesia has enormous opportunities in its marine and
fisheries industries, that have potential yearly revenues of US$1.2
trillion, exceeding the country¿s GNP of some US$1 trillion.
However, these potential revenues remain untapped, and significant amounts of industrial fishing is lost to poaching.
In the fishery sector, Indonesia's overall exports, through November 2013, only reached US$3.77 billion.
As part of its efforts to increase fishery production and exports, the
Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) is seeking to expand its
global market, including to Europe.
On Thursday, officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
France, through the Indonesian French Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(IFCCI), on fish exports.
Director General of Fisheries Product Processing and Marketing Saut P.
Hutagalung signed the MoU with IFCCI Chairman Alain Pierre Mignon in the
presence of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif C. Sutardjo
and French Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Corinne Breuzé.
"The
MoU is important to develop a sustainable marine and fisheries industry
and to support marine affairs and fisheries development policies, in
general," Minister Sharif C Sutardjo said on Thursday.
Currently, development in the country remains focused on land. "The
development model in Indonesia, the world's largest island country, is
still terrestrially oriented, although it is actually the fishery sector
that can catapult the country into one of the world's largest
economies," Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said.
Therefore, despite there having been some progress achieved in the
marine and fisheries industries, there is still much work to do in this
sector.
"There is still a lot to do. There are still things that we have not
achieved," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on January 30.
Development of marine resources must become the direction for future
Indonesian development because two-thirds of the country's territory is
water, the president added.
The potential of Indonesia's marine resources have not yet been fully
exploited, while land is limited and the nation's population is expected
to grow to 305 million by 2035.
The addition of 65 million people would result in a 40-70 per cent
increase in demand for food and energy, the president said. "We can no
longer rely on land" to meet our food needs, he noted.
Thus,
the government should begin changing its development paradigm, focusing
on the development of the marine fisheries.
Indonesia, with
17,449 islands and 104,000 kilometers of shoreline, is the largest
archipelagic state, with immense marine natural resources.
"This
means Indonesia's marine and fisheries resources can be used as a basic
capital for the development of the nation," Minister Sharif C. Sutardjo
was quoted as saying by Tempo.co online media during the Blue
Connectivity Networking Event on the sidelines of 2013 APEC summit in
Nusa Dua, Bali, recently.
The country's marine wealth should be enjoyed by the people of
Indonesia, not by those of other countries, which often steal it through
illegal fishing.
According to the People's Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara), at
least 39 foreign vessels entered Indonesian waters and fished illegally
in 2013. Kiara Data and Information Center found that these vessels were
from Malaysia, China, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam,
and Myanmar.
This practice is clearly harmful to the state, in terms of preserving
the marine ecosystem and sustainability of fisheries as a food source.
Also, illegal fishing in Indonesian waters increases each year. Between
2011 and 2013, there were 6,215 cases of illegal fishing. Of that
amount, 60 percent, or 3,782 cases, occurred since November 2012.
Director General for Supervision and Control of Marine Resources Aji
Sularso earlier said, as quoted by Vivanews.com, that Indonesia loses
some Rp30 trillion of fish each year to poaching.
To stop this, Indonesia has to tighten control over its waters to
prevent poaching and develop its own marine potentials for the welfare
of its people, since the marine sector is the future of the Indonesian
people.
Minister
Sutarjdo said the future of Indonesia lies in the sea, one of the four
main pillars besides the natural resources, agriculture, and services
that will elevate the nation to become the 7th largest economy in the
world by 2030.
However, little progress has been achieved. In the second quarter of
2013, Indonesia¿s marine and fisheries sector grew by seven percent,
compared to last year, indicating that it has grown faster than the
national growth rate of 5.81 percent. "For today and tomorrow, the
marine and fisheries sector will have a strategic role in strengthening
food security," Sutardjo said.
According to President Yudhoyono, there are at least two strategies
needed to develop the marine sector. The first is to assure territorial
integrity and security to maximize exploitation of the marine industry,
and the second is to assure the nation's welfare, he said.
If
security is assured, welfare programs will be able to be carried out
most effectively, he added. Based on this idea, the government and all
stakeholders plan strategies to improve the welfare of the public,
especially for those living in coastal communities, he said.
Moreover, the economic potential of the various marine sectors in
Indonesia is estimated to reach US$1.2 trillion per year, including
fisheries, sea transportation, marine industries, tourism, energy,
mineral resources, infrastructure and other sources of revenue.***2***
(T.A014/INE/o001)
(EDITED BY INE)
(T.A014/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 22-02-2014 13:04 |
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