Jakarta, April 28 (Antara) - Fishermen who are key players in providing fish protein for the nation need to be developed and protected so that they could increase production and improve welfare.
Fishermen protection has been regulated in Law on Protection of Fishermen, Cultured Fish Breeders and Salt Farmers. About seven million fishermen who live in the coastal areas in the country still remain poor.
"The government should draft Government Regulations (PP) and bylaws to ensure the on-field implementation of the law in line with the people's aspirations," lawmaker Akmal Pasluddin said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The fishermen should also be covered with an insurance scheme. The fishermen's insurance is one of the priority programs of the Marine and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) in its efforts to boost the prosperity of fishermen and to protect some one million of them in Indonesia.
However, based on data at the KKP, only 715 thousand Indonesians held fishermen ID cards. Possessing a fisherman's ID card and being covered under the development of the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Service is one of the prerequisites to becoming a holder of the fishermen's insurance policy.
The Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Association (KNTI) therefore urged the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry's (KKP's) plan to offer insurance to fishermen in several regions should be carried out soon.
"The acceleration of the plan should be considered comprehensively. It should be started by the working team of the KKP," KNTI General Chairman M. Riza Damanik stated on Tuesday (April 12).
Damanik believes it would be better if the insurance program and other forms of assistance served as a momentum to involve other parties, such as the Social Security Management Agency.
The directorate general of fish catch has currently prepared a technical guideline on fishermen's insurance. It has also prepared a letter of decision along with the fishermen's insurance team.
The KKP has planned to draw up a technical guideline with regard to the issuance of insurance to protect fishermen at sea.
"We are also making preparations to organize a meeting of the fishermen's insurance team with the management of the insurance firm PT Asuransi Jasa Indoinesia (Jasindo) in the near future," Narmoko Prasmadji, the director general for fish catch of the KKP, noted.
For handling the fishermen's insurance, the directorate general will involve echelon I officials of the KKP, the Financial Service Authority, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance.
"The supporting document for the fishermen's insurance is expected to be wrapped up this April. Early in July, it should have already been realized with the would-be insurance recipients," Narmoko affirmed.
In an effort to protect fishermen, lawmaker Akmal Pasluddin has urged the central and regional governments to draft regulations for implementing the Law on Protection of Fishermen, Cultured Fish Breeders, and Salt Farmers.
After all, the decision to impose a moratorium on the reclamation of the Jakarta Bay for example, is a momentum to arrange regulations regarding coastal areas that would protect fishermen from losing sources of income.
Akmal affirmed that implementing the regulations was important, among other things, to protect fishermen from the negative impact of the Jakarta Bay reclamation project, which is now being halted, following a moratorium and is being reviewed by a government's joint team.
Akmal Pasluddin, a politician of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), expressed hope that the presence of a bylaw of the Jakarta Government and the moratorium on the project would improve maritime governance and the life of the people in Indonesia's coastal areas.
The moratorium on the Jakarta Bay reclamation project should serve as a momentum to improve the governance of maritime and coastal areas in Indonesia, Akmal said. He added that governance must be carried out for the benefit and prosperity of the people, particularly fishermen who are one of the key suppliers of protein to the nation.
Regarding efforts to increase production, particularly cultured fish, the KKP provides fingerlings while developing fish technology for fishermen.
"We continue to provide fish seeds to farmers in the hope that cultured fish production will increase," Director General of Cultured Fish of the KKP Slamet Soebjakto said.
The KKP has set the target for cultured fish production at 19.5 million tons in 2016, up from 17.4 million tons in 2015.
Slamet Soebjakto said that production has now reached 30 percent of total planned target.
"Our target this year is more than that in 2015. Based on the data, about 30 percent of this target has been achieved in the first quarter of this year. We are, therefore, optimistic that the entire target will be achieved by the end of the year," Slamet said after attending a seminar here.
Since the marine fishing potential is relatively limited, the KKP also focused on cultured fish farming which holds better promise in the future.
"As we move ahead, the potential of marine fishery is limited as population continues to increase. Therefore, the KKP also focuses on development of cultured fish," the director general said.
The areas in which fishery potential can be further developed included seaweeds, shrimps and various types of perches. "The development of cultured fish is expected to reduce unemployment and enhance prosperity," Slamet said.***1***(A014/A/o001)
(T.A014/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 28-04-2016 10:07: |
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