KKP CONTINUES TO DEVELOP FISHERIES SECTOR IN EASTERN REGIONS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 24 (Antara) - The government, through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), is focusing its attention on developing the fisheries sector in the eastern regions of Indonesia.          Fisheries is one of the sectors being developed to boost public welfare in the eastern regions, which are relatively lagging behind as compared with those in the western parts of the country.          To this end, a senior official of the KKP had visited Maluku Province to review fisheries development programs in the eastern regions.          "Especially in Maluku and Papua," Director General of Capture Fisheries of the KKP Ministry Sjarief Wijaja had stated in Tual, Maluku, on Friday (Mar 23).          Wijaja, in the company of representatives from state-owned port operator PT Pelindo and state-owned shipping firm PT Pelni, had paid a visit to Tual City to also review its Nusantara Fishery Port that is used as an export base.

GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO INCREASE FISHERIES EXPORTS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 18 (Antara) - The government is trying to decrease the import duty abroad, improve transportation system at home, and expand fishing vessels to increase domestic fish production, in an effort to boost fishery product exports.          The transportation system in outermost regions will be improved to shorten the delivery time to export hub regions or point of exports, in order to maintain the freshness of fishery products.          The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is fighting for import tariff cuts for the country's fishery products imported by the European Union (EU).          Director General of the Maritime and Fishery Products Competitiveness Promotion of the KKP, Nilanto Perbowo, stated in a release on Saturday that the import tariff of Indonesian fishery products in the EU was still quite high, at around 6-24 percent.          However, a number of other countries, such as Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam, are believed to have secured much lower import duty rates. Some are not subject to import duty tariffs. "It is now time for Indonesia to also get the same tariff of zero (0) percent; this is what we are striving for," she explained.

FISHERIES SECTOR NEEDS MORE MICRO BUSINESS CREDITS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 2 (Antara) - Fisheries is one of Indonesia¿s sources of revenues that need adequate funds for its development and utilization in a sustainable manner. Yet, it cannot develop faster due to lack of funds.         "The fisheries sector is growing slowly due to a number of constraints. The government needs to further boost the realization of the fishery micro business credit (KUR) credit because fishery business needs financing stimulus to grow faster," National Coordinator of the Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW), Moh Abdi Suhufan, said in Jakarta on Sunday (Oct 28).         The smallholder's KUR scheme for the fisheries sector, therefore, needs to be further enhanced as currently, the KUR credit beneficiaries are dominated by the trade and agriculture business sectors.          The realization of KUR for fisheries reached Rp1.19 trillion in late September 2017 from the total KUR realization of Rp69.9 trillion. Thus, the realization of the credit is expected to increase further as there are three more months for banks to channel KUR credits to the fisheries sector.

GOVERNMENT TO REPLACE FISHERMEN'S UNFRIENDLY FISHING TOOLS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 28 (Antara) - The government, through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), will replace fishermen's environment-unfriendly fishing tools, such as trawls and seine nets, with friendly ones.        For this purpose, the KKP is collecting data on fishermen who will receive assistance from the government to replace their fishing tools.        "We are making an inventory of fishermen recipients. We have time to collect data on them until Dec 2017. Their fishing equipment must be replaced with environment-friendly ones," Saifuddin, director for licensing and fishing affairs of the KKP, said in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Sunday.         The government is providing fishing tool replacement assistance for fishermen with fishing boats of 10 gross tonnage (10 GT) and lower. But the KKP accords priority to those with vessels of 5GT and lower.         Actually, on the national scale, there are not many regions where fishermen use unfriendly fishing tools. Among the regions are Central Java, Lampung, and West Kalimantan. The replacement of their tools will not be done all at once, but in stages.

FISHERIES CENTERS BUILT TO IMPROVE FISHERMEN'S WELFARE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 8 (Antara) - Indonesian fishermen are among the country's underprivileged population, although they have the vital role in providing the people's need for high protein, especially from fish.          To improve the welfare of fishermen, the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) is focusing its attention on developing Integrated Fisheries and Marine Centers (SKPT) in the country's outlaying islands.          The development of the SKPTs is expected to advance the country's fishery industry in the outer and isolated islands with the aim of providing equitable distribution of income and improving the welfare of fishermen.          Besides, the development of integrated fisheries and marine centers will also increase public services to business makers  and the people so that the fisheries business would become more efficient and effective.          KKP Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has stressed the importance of the SKPT as part of the government's efforts to reduce logistics burdens or costs in the maritime and fisheries sector.         "The establishment of the SKPT is to cut short processes, transportation lines and the logistics of fishermen's fish catch," Minister Pudjiastuti said during the signing of a cooperation agreement with state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina on Monday (July 31).

GOVT SHOULD FOCUS ON TAPPING FISHERIES RESOURCES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 9 (Antara) - The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) should now focus on the utilization of the country's abundant fisheries resources, and not on their supervision only.          The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) wants the government to pay more attention to the marine and fisheries sector in 2017.         "We hope the government will pay more attention to the marine and fishery businesses," Kadin's Deputy for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Yugi Prayanto  has said.          The optimal utilization of Indonesia's vast marine areas and rich fisheries resources can earn the government trillions of rupiah in annual revenues. Its marine and fisheries resources have a revenue potential of up to Rp3000 trillion or about US$55.6 billion a year based on data at the KKP  in 2001.         According to Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, abundant fishery resources are currently only found in the seas of Indonesia's maritime territory, and their sustainability should be maintained.        "Our fishery potential is extraordinary as now only Indonesia has abundant fish stocks," Minister Pudjiastuti stated at a fishery business and investment last week (December 30).

INDONESIA NEEDS TO DEVELOP FISHERY INDUSTRY

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 6 (Antara) - It is very reasonable for Indonesia to aim to become the biggest fish processing industrial center in the world as two-thirds of its territory is covered with water, which can be tapped for fisheries resources.         Fisheries and marine resources, in general, should contribute two-thirds of the economic resources to the country's economic development. However, the country cannot exploit its maritime potential maximally yet.         The present government has turned to the sea to tap resources for the development of the country's economy, including the fisheries sector.         However, not much progress has been made for the development of the country's downstream fisheries, such as the development of the fish processing industry.         Some have assessed that in the upstream sector, the government has shown progress in fighting illegal fishing, banning transshipment at sea, disallowing the operations of fishing vessels of certain tonnage, and prohibiting the use of certain fishing devices.         However, in the downstream sector, the government still has to work hard to encourage the development of fish industries, such as fish-processing businesses. This is expected to stop the fish de-industrialization trend.

DOWNSTREAM FISHERY DEVELOPMENT KEY TO IMPROVING FISHERMEN'S WELFARE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 21 (Antara) - After some progress was achieved in the upstream sector, the country now needs to encourage the development of the downstream fishery industry in an effort to offer opportunities to idle fishermen and improve their welfare.          The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) has implemented various policies in the upstream sector to fight illegal fishing, ban transshipment at sea, disallow the operations of fishing vessels of certain tonnage, and prohibit the use of certain fishing devices.          Although poaching had reduced with the implementation of the policy, yet fish production has slowed down, and millions of fishermen and fishing boat crew members have become idle.          In the meantime, the development of downstream fisheries is yet to show substantial results, in terms of boosting the welfare of the fishermen.          The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) believed that KKP Minister Susi Pudjiastuti had applied a good policy with regard to the upstream sector. However, Kadin suggested that the minister should also intensively empower the fishery industry from the upstream to downstream areas.

RI ENCOURAGES FISH STOCKING TO MAINTAIN FISHERY RESOURCES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 1 (Antara) - The Indonesian government continues to encourage eco-friendly cultured fish development and has begun fish restocking as part of its efforts to maintain the sustainability of its environment and fishery resources.         Director General of Cultured Fish of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Slamet Soebjakto affirmed that eco-friendly and sustainable development of fisheries is being carried out in line with the directives of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti.         "Based on the directives of Minister Susi, the development of cultured fish must not harm the environment, but it should support the sustainability of nature and fishery resources. Thus, fish restocking is also being carried out to achieve the two objectives," Soebjakto noted in a written statement recently.      According to the director general, the cultured fish sector should continue to be boosted in an effort to maintain its sustainability through restocking activities aimed at preserving and enriching the natural fishery resources.

INDONESIA DECIDES TO OPTIMALLY TAP FISHERIES POTENTIAL

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 11 (Antara) - The optimal utilization of Indonesia's vast marine areas and rich fisheries resources can earn the government annual revenues of up to US$1.2 trillion.        However, foreign poachers have so far been making the most of various shortcomings in local fishing scene, such as the shortage of fishing vessels, lack of fuel stock, and inadequate cold storage.         Indonesia's inadequate control over its marine wealth has enabled foreign poachers to steal the country's fish, which, according to FAO, amounts to Rp300 trillion per annum.         President Joko Widodo, who took over as the seventh president last October, claimed in December that Indonesia lost some Rp300 trillion annually to illegal fishing activities. The irresolute approach of the government allowed some 5,400 illegal vessels to operate in Indonesian waters.         Therefore, the government, through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), has resolved to develop the fisheries sector and optimally tap its potential in line with President Joko Widodo's vision for the maritime sector.

INDONESIA MUST GAIN FROM ITS OWN FISHERIES POTENTIALS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 29 (Antara) -- With the vast maritime territory and rich fishery resources of the country, Indonesians hope that the government maximizes the development of sea potentials so they can benefit from the marine wealth.         President Joko Widodo, who was inaugurated as Indonesia's seventh president last October, claimed in December that the country loses some Rp300 trillion annually from illegal fishing activities and that there are around 5,400 illegal vessels operating in Indonesian waters as a result of lack of decisive action taken by the government.         Therefore, the administration of Jokowi, as the president is fondly called, is focusing its attention on maritime development to regain the country's past maritime glory.         So far, Indonesia has yet to tap into the potential and is still weak in protecting its marine sector, which has a potential of generating US$1.2 trillion a year in revenue.         Indonesian food expert Florentinus Gregorius Winarno said in Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday that the people of the country had yet to be able to enjoy the benefits of their marine resources maximally because the largest portion of Indonesian fish was taken by foreign fishermen.         "Of the entire marine potential, only about 5 percent is enjoyed by Indonesian people," Winarno added.

INDONESIA BEGINS SINKING ILLEGAL FISHING BOATS

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 6 (Antara) - Indonesia has detained 155 foreign fishing vessels and, on Friday, sunk three of them, a stern measure lauded by all sides at home to clear the country's water of foreign fish poachers.         "We have detained five large foreign ships and 150 other small ones across the country last week. We sunk three of them on Friday to teach them a lesson, so that they will give up poaching in Indonesian waters," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said in a discussion with local fishermen in Gorontalo on Saturday.          Jokowi, who was inaugurated as Indonesia's seventh President last October, has repeatedly said the country has lost some Rp300 trillion annually from illegal fishing and that there are currently 5,400 illegal ships operating in Indonesian waters, due to a lack of decisive action by the government.          Three Vietnamese boats, which have been proven to have illegally fished fish in Indonesian waters, were made to explode by the Indonesian Navy off the Anambas Island waters,  Riau Islands, on Friday.         "We have been planning the sinking operation since Friday morning. Three fishing ships were going to be sunk. They were all from Vietnam," the Head of Information Office of the Indonesian Navy, First Admiral Manahan Simorangkir, was quoted as saying by local online media on Friday.

NEW MINISTER VOWS TO CRACK DOWN UPON ILLEGAL FISHING

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Nov 3 (Antara) -  Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has vowed to step up efforts to curb illegal fishing in Indonesian waters, which has caused losses worth trillions of rupiah to the state and disadvantaged traditional fishermen.          The minister stated that foreign vessels have continued to conduct illegal fishing activities in Indonesian maritime territories such as in the waters of Maluku, Sumatra, and the Indian Ocean. She expressed regret on the rampant illegal fishing practices occurring in Indonesian waters and called on Indonesian fishing businesses to become more self-reliant.          "Do you not want to become independent in your own waters? Why should any foreigner take advantage of it (Indonesia's sea resources)," she noted on Sunday.         She had previously pledged to take action against those involved in illegal fishing practices in Indonesian waters. The minister expressed her commitment to crack down upon illegal fishing activities as it harmed the interests and reduced the income of the state.

RI WORKS WITH GLOBAL PARTNERS TO DEVELOP MARINE SECTOR

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 9 (Antara) - With a blue economic concept, Indonesia is developing its marine and fisheries sectors through global partners to face global food challenges and free trade era.          "The world is currently facing a food security challenge in feeding its population which by 2050 will reach about nine billion.   Indonesia is considered consistent in accelerating the development of its national marine and fisheries sectors in the framework of blue growth," Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said on Monday.          According to data obtained from the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it is estimated that by the year 2030, almost two-thirds of the consumption of fishery products in the world will come from the fishery sub-sector.          The Asian region, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and Japan, are projected to meet 70 percent of the global fish demand.          In response to this issue, Indonesia, the World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are holding a workshop on Blue Growth Global Alliance and Food Security to work out a work plan to be forwarded to the "6th Annual BlueTech and Blue Economy" Summit in November this year.

INDONESIA'S FISHERIES SECTOR GEARING UP TO FACE AEC

By Andi Abdussalam

By Andi Abdussalam     Jakarta, June 26 (Antara) - Indonesia is preparing its fisheries sector to face the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), when trade, service, and other business sectors, including fisheries, will be liberalized in the region.          The government, in this case the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), is drafting work plans for implementation during the next five years. These work schemes are expected to be implemented by the new government, which will begin its term of office this October.         The two presidential candidates who will compete in the coming elections have promised to focus their attention on fisheries sector. According to the Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ), the marine and fisheries sector has received serious attention for the first time from the current presidential and vice presidential candidates.

FISH STOCKS TO SUFFICE FOR FASTING MONTH

by Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, June 19 (Antara) - Fish stocks are adequate to meet domestic needs in the face of the upcoming Muslim fasting month and the post-fasting Idul Fitri or Lebaran festivities.      It is estimated that there will be an increase in the demand and consumption of fish by 20 percent in the run up to the fasting month of Ramadhan, 15 percent during fasting, and 30 percent during Lebaran.          With the increase, total volume of fish required in June, July, and August reaches 2.6 million tons. This is still below the current stock of 3.2 million tons.          "We have estimated that the domestic need for fish will increase by 20 percent in June, 15 percent in July (fasting month), and 30 percent during the Lebaran festivities. This will need a total stock of 2.6 million tons. But, our current stock is 3.2 million tons. So, stocks are sufficient for the fasting month," Director General for Fish Processing and Marketing of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Saut Hutagalung stated on Wednesday.

NEXT PRESIDENT EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MARINE RESOURCES

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, June 10 (Antara) - The next president who will be elected in the upcoming July 9 presidential elections is expected to further develop the country's marine resources so that this sector will contribute to improving public welfare.          So far, Indonesia has not yet tapped the maximum potential and is still weak in protecting its marine sector, which has a revenue potential of US$1.2 trillion a year.          Weak control over the marine wealth has enabled foreign poachers to steal the country's fish, which according to FAO amount to Rp300 trillion per annum.      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.          Inappropriate exploitation of the marine resources also caused damage to fish habitat and weakened the life of fish species and other marine biota.          "Many people are not aware of the fact that the country's fish habitat for various species and marine resources is no longer functioning well. Threat to fish habitat in the sea will in the end become a threat to the survival of human life," Secretary General of the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sjarief Widjaja said on Monday.          Sjarif said the habitat for fish species and other marine biota needed concrete actions to protect it.

INDONESIA DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE TUNA PROGRAMS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 15 (Antara) - Indonesia is launching sustainable tuna development and quality improvement programs to increase the competitiveness of its tuna fish products amid increasingly tighter competition in the global market.         "In support of the sustainability of the fishery sector, the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has initiated cooperation between the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) and processing companies or exporters in Indonesia. They are expected to  carry out the program, among others  in Benoa, Bali," Fishery Marketing and Processing Director General at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Saut Hutagalung said on Thursday.          According to Saud,  in the implementation of the program, the SFP supported the use of researchers to assure the quantity of fish catch and accurate data entry in the log book of the exporters or ship owners.          He reminded that the tuna fishery industry had a good development prospect as long as it was developed based on tuna sustainable processing principles. After all, the international market, particularly Europe, has required fish imports to put  ecolabeling.

INDONESIAN FISHERY RESOURCES BENEFIT FOREIGN POACHERS

 By Andi Abdussalam

           Jakarta, April 7 (Antara) - Rich in 5,000 million fish species, Indonesia's 5.8 million square kilometers of waters continue to benefit foreign vessels as the country's policies on the fishery sector have loopholes which foreign poachers can take advantage of.
         The government's policies allowing foreigners to conduct fish catch trans-shipment on the sea and to make use of its small islands and their surrounding waters are loopholes that can be abused by foreign vessels to illegally tap Indonesian fishery resources.
         After all, Indonesia still does not have adequate fishing patrol boats to supervise its waters to ensure that fish poaching does not take place. It is estimated that Indonesia suffers a loss of about Rp30 trillion yearly due to fish poaching. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that the losses suffered by Indonesia due to illegal fishing reached Rp300 trillion per annum, according to Tempo.co in a report on January 8, 2014.

ALL FISHING PORTS EXPECTED TO ADOPT ECOPORT CONCEPT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 21 (Antara) - As the global market increasingly demands clean fishery products, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) urged all fishing ports in Indonesia to apply the ecoport concept to eradicate environmental pollution in ports.         The ecoport concept is also expected to help the government develop sustainable fisheries and advance the country's fishery industry.         The ministry has now launched an ecoport pilot project in at least four fishing ports, after which the country's more than 800 fishing ports will follow suit.         Besides that, the ministry is also launching a fishery research program, particularly for tuna fish, as part of its efforts to develop a sustainable fishing industry.         "The Ministry of Marine Resources and Fisheries (KKP) has launched a tuna research program to develop sustainable fisheries," Marines Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said on Wednesday.         Tuna is considered the most threatened fish variety in Indonesia. According to Minister Sutardjo, the exploitation of tuna fish in Indonesia had reached an alarming level and all parties need to cooperate to stop it.