Jakarta, Feb 8 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is resolved to turn
Natuna --an island in Riau Islands Province which is rich in oil
deposit and keeps the world's largest gas reserves-- into an integrated
fish production and processing center.
Located some 1,250 km north of Jakarta, Natuna is so far known as an
island which has a potential of US$628.7 billion worth of gas reserves
amounting to 222 trillion cubic feet that could be exploited in 30
years.
Its position in the northern part of the country's waters, which are
rich in fishery resources but prone to illegal fishing, makes the
government to think of developing the fish processing and production
center in the area.
Indonesia's maritime potential consists of water areas which account
for two-third of the country's land with a coastline of 95,181 km or the
second longest in the world.
Its fisheries export is the fifth largest among the ASEAN countries
with a non-tax national income of Rp227 billion in 2013.
Indonesia has the widest sea territory in Asia and the second longest coasts in the world.
Indonesian waters are the habitat of varieties of fish of high
commercial value such as tuna. Around 30 percent of the world's tuna
fish production comes from Indonesia.
"However, the sea natural wealth had not made Indonesia prosper as a
maritime country," Marine and Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said.
"Indonesia should have become an advanced country because of its sea natural resources," she said.
The government hopes the development of the fish processing center in
the Natuna area would help maximally utilize the country's fishery
resources and prevent fish poaching by foreign vessels.
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) plans to develop a
fishery center worth around Rp200-Rp300 billion around Natuna as part of
efforts to accelerate maritime growth in the district.
"Natuna will be developed into an integrated fish processing center,"
Minister Susi Pujiastuti said in Batam on Saturday.
She added that the establishment of an integrated fishery processing
center will enable Natuna to attract domestic and overseas buyers to
come to the island to purchase the products.
As foreign fishermen have often been seen engaging in fish poaching in
the waters of Natuna, the government wants to transform it into a
fishery center.
Fish products from Indonesia account for 30 percent of the world supplies.
However, Indonesia is only the fifth largest exporter of fishery
products in the world and that the country did not prosper from its
abundant sea natural wealth, because of rampant illegal
fishing, Minister Susi told participants of a seminar on European
Union (EU) Hygiene Regulations for Fisheries Product Imported to EU in
Bali Tuesday night.
Illegal, unreported fishing and unregulated
fishing (IUU fishing) has threatened the sea strategic role of
Indonesia, Susi said.
Minister Susi Pujiastuti therefore emphasized that she was determined
to bring to order maritime management and exploitation in Indonesia.
The minister made the statement at a Mass Media Convention held
in the framework of observing National Press Day 2015 in Batam, Riau
Islands province, on Saturday.
Speaking on the subject "Strengthening the Nation's Maritime Economy,"
the minister said she would never restrain efforts to maintain the
sovereignty of the state and nation, particularly in the maritime
sector.
Among steps she is taking to maintain the sovereignty of the state and
nation includes the issuance of ministerial decrees as follow ups to
laws and other regulations that have been in place since before.
The ministerial decrees include the marine affairs and fisheries
ministerial decree number 58/2014 on the moratorium of issuing licenses
to foreign vessels, and number 57/2014 on the banning of transshipment
of fishery products to be dispatched abroad.
Besides these, there is also the ministerial decree number 01/2015 that
bans catching of crabs, spawning lobsters and 'rajungan' (a species of
crab) and decision number 02/2015 that bans the use of drag trawlers.
Rampant illegal fishing has reduced fish populations in some Indonesian
waters resulting in a decline in fish production of traditional
fishermen, Susi said.
With the development of a fish processing center in Natuna, the
minister stated, foreign vessels will no longer be able to get away with
exploiting the fish stock there.
"I
do not want to see foreign vessels in Indonesian waters anymore. Their
presence there constitutes a moral hazard," Pujiastuti remarked.
At the same occasion, Governor of Riau Islands province Muhammad Sani
hailed the KKP's plan to develop Natuna as a fish production center in
Indonesia.
"To meet our goals, there must be a fishery production center there," Sani emphasized.
Furthermore, the fishery industry in Natuna will need a special port
and cold storage unit to increase the quality of the fish catch in the
border areas.
The governor affirmed that the development of the Natuna fish processing center will soon be realized.
In
addition, the regional government is ready to support the central
government's plan for the sake of improving the prosperity of the
people.
Earlier, Head of the Regional Development Planning Board Hardinansah
had expressed hope that the government would turn Natuna district, which
is located in the waters of the China Sea, into a fish catching center.
A fish processing center could be established in Batam or Bintan
Island, whose location is more strategic.
In
the meantime, in line with the government's plan to develop fish
processing centers, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Kadin) will build 1,000 fish processing units across the country by the
end of 2019.
"By
2019, Kadin will set up 400 fish processing units, which will take the
total number of units in the country to 1,000," Kadin's deputy chairman
for the marine and fisheries sector Yugi Prayanto noted in a written
statement on Monday (Feb. 2)
He explained that building small-scale
fish processing units with modest cold storage facilities is estimated
to cost Rp20 to Rp30 billion, while setting up large-scale ones with
advanced technology is expected to cost around Rp500 billion.***1***
(T.A014/f001)
(T.A014/A/A. Abdussalam/F. Assegaf) 08-02-2015 08:09: |
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