CENTRAL SULAWESI EAGER TO BECOME SHRIMP CENTER

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 20 (Antara) - As the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) plans to focus on shrimp aquaculture early this year, the Central Sulawesi Province is determined to become one of Indonesia's key shrimp production centers.          The Kadin has forecast that the shrimp business has bright prospects in the future, as the price of this commodity is rising. The businesses operating under the Kadin will start focusing on shrimp cultivation.          "The prospects of shrimp farming are bright, and it is the right time to develop shrimp ponds," Yugi Pranoto, Kadin chairman for Marine Affairs and Fisheries stated on Wednesday, last week.          Therefore, Central Sulawesi, one of the provinces in eastern Indonesia, which has a marine and fisheries potential, decided to exploit the opportunity to develop its fisheries potential, particularly shrimp cultivation, in order to become a shrimp production center.            According to a report by Antara correspondent Rolex Malaha, the Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola has requested all district governments, banks, and businesses in the province to help support the province's resolve to become one of the country's key shrimp production centers.  The provincial government also urged all sides to support the development of the intensive shrimp aquaculture technology so that the dream can soon be realized.          "We have immense land potential for the development of shrimp ponds. We also have a successful native businessman who has successfully developed a Supra Intensive shrimp pond cultivation technology. We are therefore convinced that we can become a center of shrimp production in the coming years," the governor claimed.          The governor pointed out that the Central Sulawesi Province has a four thousand km coastline stretching along 11 districts and one municipal city. It only has one district, which is landlocked.          "However, the shrimp production of Central Sulawesi is still in its nascent stages, namely only about eight thousand tons per annum so far or only about two percent of the national shrimp production of about 400 thousand tons," the governor noted on the sidelines of a maiden harvest of the vannamei shrimps developed under a Supra Intensive pilot project in Mamboro Village, Palu City, last week.          Longki is optimistic that the Central Sulawesi shrimp production can be increased by implementing the Supra Intensive cultivation technology in all the districts with good synergy among the local governments, banking, businesses, and shrimp farmers.          "I hope that shrimp farmers will form groups and cooperate in the development of the Supra Intensive shrimp cultivation technology. I believe that this system will be effective, as it is a capital-intensive system," the governor pointed out.          Head of Central Sulawesi's Marine Affairs and Fisheries Hasanuddin Atjo, who is also the developer of the Supra Intensive shrimp cultivation technology, stated that by applying this system, a one hectare pond can yield 153 tons of shrimp.          "If all the 12 districts in the province are able to develop 10 hectares of shrimp ponds using this system, the combined shrimp pond acreage will reach 120 hectares with a total production of 18 thousand tons," he claimed.          The Supra Intensive vannamei shrimp cultivation technology was first introduced by Chairman of the Indonesian Aquatic Society Rokhmin Dahuri in the Barru District, South Sulawesi, on October 19, 2013.         The Central Sulawesi Marine Affairs and Fisheries Services implemented this system by developing a pilot project on a 400 square meter pond in the Mamboro Village, Central Sulawesi. In the initial phase, 400 thousand shrimp fries were released in the pond.          The pond is expected to yield six tons of vannamei shrimps in one harvest period of 90 days. Based on the price assumption of Rp80 thousand per kg, the value of the pond's production can reach Rp480 million. The operational and production costs are estimated at Rp300 million.         An amount of Rp2 billion has been set aside in the 2013 Central Sulawesi regional budget for the construction of the ponds.         Every year, the pond will have three cycles of production harvests, thus it will produce Rp1.4 billion worth of shrimp.         Effective 2014, Central Sulawesi will start implementing this technology in three districts of Parigi Moutong, Tojo Una-Una, and Boul. Other provinces such as East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Bangka Belitung are also evaluating this system for future application.          In the meantime, Purjoko, the head of Bank Indonesia (BI/the central bank) for Central Sulawesi, noted that the shrimp pond development using the Supra Intensive technology system was bankable.          "Observing the shrimp yields from the first harvest and getting a first-hand explanation from fishery expert Hasanuddin Atjo, I think this business is quite bankable," remarked Purjoko after attending the maiden harvest last week.      He promised to encourage the banks in Central Sulawesi to provide the required funding for the development of the vannamei shrimp farms using the Supra Intensive technology system.         Measuring 20x20 m, the shrimp pond of the pilot project was built by the local Marine Affairs and Fisheries Service and is expected to be harvested thrice a year with a total production of about six tons.      According to Hasanuddin Atjo, the inventor of the system, the pond is equipped with a modern waste processing technology called central drain. Installed inside the pond, the equipment automatically disposes off wastes like shrimp droppings and feed residue so that optimal shrimp health is guaranteed.         An automatic feeder is used to feed the shrimp in the ponds. A blower is also installed in the pond to increase the oxygen supply and maintain the water temperature at an optimal level.         "All the devices used in the system, including the feed, are measured and standardized. The shrimp fries released to the pond are of superior quality.  The yield achieved by implementing the Supra Intensive system is commendable, wherein a hectare of pond can produce 153 tons of shrimp," stated Hasanuddin Atjo.          Purjoko noted that apart from the lucrative profit margin, the risk in this pond shrimp cultivation system is relatively low because all the related activities are controlled optimally and the equipment applied is standardized.          "I think banks will be interested in providing funds for the development of this business. As of now, no banks have expressed interest in providing credits, as they have not yet obtained sufficient information about this new system," Purjoko asserted.     (T.A014/INE) EDITED BY INE (T.A014/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 20-01-2014 17:25: