Jakarta, May 18 (Antara) - Indonesia, the world's third largest seaweed
supplier, is working out a roadmap for integrated development of
up-and-downstream seaweed industries to increase the economic value of
the commodity at home.
"The government, in this case the Ministry of Marine Affairs and
Fisheries (KKP), will compile and finish the roadmap soon to provide a
guideline for development of upstream and downstream seaweed
industries," Director General of Fish Processing and Marketing of the
KKP ministry Saut Hutagalung said on Thursday.
The roadmap needs to be developed as Indonesia, whose seaweed
production increases about two million tons per year, is host to about
555 seaweed species of which 55 species has high economic values.
The roadmap is also important to answer the need of seaweed farmers and producers for zoning of seaweed culture areas.
Of the 55 seaweed species, two varieties, namely Eucheuma cottnii and
Gracillaria spp, have been popular and developed so far to produce
processed carrageenan and geltin.
The director general said that besides the two types, there are other
species which had promising business prospect, namely brown algae
(alginate) and green algae (ulva) seaweeds. This is particularly for
cosmetic industry.
The government, therefore, encourages industries and seaweed
stakeholders to increase research and development efforts for the
cultivation of the varieties which have high economic values.
Saut
stressed the importance of carrying out researches from the upstream
areas (such as selections of locations and seeds) to the downstream
field (involving the development of technology).
For the development of seaweed in the country, the Indonesian Seaweed
Association (ARLI) has expressed its desire for zoning of seaweed areas
so that seaweed cultivation has special zones in an effort to prevent
potential conflicts between culture fisheries and other sectors.
"We need special zoning to prevent the outbreak of conflict," Safari
Aziz, the general chairman of ARLI, said on Wednesday.
He said that the development of seaweed in various provinces was
hampered by the master plans of other sectors such as mining, energy and
tourism sectors. He cited as an example the development of tourism in
Bali where hotel construction around coastal areas had hampered the
development of seaweed in the area.
"The development of hotels in the coastal areas sparked protest from
the local people and seaweed formers because they are prohibited from
drying their seaweed products there," Aziz said.
Besides that, mining companies' plans to develop smelters and power
plants, like in South Sulawesi and East Java, also threaten to
marginalize seaweed farmers because they have to reclaim coastal areas
when they build the projects.
Aziz said the availability of zoning for special seaweed culture and
production will make it easier for accurate data gathering on seaweed
development and for the continuation of seaweed production business.
He also questioned the accuracy of the KKP data on the country's
seaweed production, which was recorded at 8.2 million tons in 2013, or
about 9.33 percent above the target set at 7.5 million tons.
"The accuracy of the data is questionable. It is not in line with the
world's consumption and reality in the field," the ARLI general chairman
said.
The ministry targeted national seaweed production of 7.5 million tons
in 2013, rising by 30 percent from 5.2 million tons in 2012. For 2014,
the ministry aims to produce 10 million tons of wet seaweed or about one
million tons of dried seaweed.
In the meantime, Head of South Sulawesi's Plant Quarantine and
Biodiversity Security Center Antarjo Dikin said in Makassar last month
that the country exported 174 thousand tons of seaweed worth US$132.48
million in 2013.
He said that about 0.7 million tons of seaweed at home were for raw
materials to be processed into food, fish feed, paint, ceramic,
cosmetics, toothpaste, hair tonics and pharmaceutical products.
Of the exports, some 50 percent were shipped to China while the
remaining ones went to Europe such as the Netherlands, Denmark, France,
Spain and Britain.
"Seaweed
prospect is good because it creates new promising economic field and it
serves as a raw material for healthy food," Antarjo said.
As for seaweed products, the KKP ministry is targeting 205,000 tons
this year, in the form of Alkali Treated Carrageenan (ATC), Semi Refined
Carrageenan (SRC), Refined Carrageenan (RC), jelly, alginates, and
other formulated products.
Indonesia has the potential to cultivate seaweed on 1.1 million
hectares. The country's biodiversity of seaweed species is vast,
amounting to more than 555 species, 45 percent of all seaweed species
worldwide, including Glacilaria, Gelidium, Eucheuma, Hypnea, Sargassum
and Turbinaria
According to Mukti Sardjono, an expert staff of
the agriculture minister on environment affairs, seaweed has high
economic competitiveness and is Eco-friendly because it can reduce
emission of gases.
"Indonesia
is the world's third biggest seaweed supplier with a total production
of 6.5 million tons in 2012. Therefore, we should optimize our efforts
to develop seaweed," Mukti Sardjono said.
He
said that seaweed was able to reduce the depletion of the ozone layers.
Unluckily, however, the global warming, climate change and human
activities have also reduced the world seaweed stretches by about seven
percent per annum.***2***
(T.A014/b003/B003)
(T.A014/A/A. Abdussalam/Bustanuddin) 18-05-2014 |
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