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.
According to Andi Rukman Karumpa, chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) for the Indonesian Eastern Region, the country's fisheries industry is continuing to show a downward trend in performance.
He added that the production capacity of various Fisheries Processing Units (UPIs) in the eastern region has been declining.
Indonesia has in the past been known as the world's biggest cakalang (tuna fish species) producing country in 2014 when it produced some 418,633 tons, accounting for 14 percent of the world's total production of 3 million tons.
As a result of the decline in UPI production, fisheries-related exports from Bitung also fell.
For example, in Bitung, North Sulawesi, till 2014 there were 53 UPIs with a combined production capacity of 361,200 tons per annum and a utility factor of 41.86 percent. However, in 2015, the utility factor fell to 22.53 percent.
Bitung city, once nicknamed the Cakalang city, is now importing cakalang fish from India, Taiwan and South Korea. Given such a scenario, Bitung's status as a special economic zone (SEZ) will lose its attractiveness.
In a move to prevent the fisheries sector from undergoing de-industrialization, the government has issued a Presidential Instruction No.7/2017 to expedite the development of the national fisheries industry.
Referring to the issuance of the presidential instruction, Andi noted that various institutions and relevant ministries were yet to take adequate follow up measures, though the information has been sent to 25 relevant officials.
It was earlier reported that the Indonesian government has been giving priority to increase the fisheries production by relaxing regulations for fishermen and local industries. The move is meant to support these sustainable industries in the development of the national fisheries sector and maintain sea food sovereignty.
As part of the efforts to boost fish production, the government though the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has earlier built 15 Integrated Fisheries and Marine Resource Development Center (SKPT) in various regions in the country. The aim of the SKPT is among others to boost fishery exports directly from the center without the need to go through Jakarta.
The SKPT aims to maintain food resilience, increase people fish consumption, increase foreign exchange earnings through exports and raise the people income.
Five of the SKPT are located in Simeullue (Aceh) Natuna (Riau Islands), Tahuna (North Sulawesi), Saumlaki (Maluku), and Merauke (Papua).
Ten others are built in Mentawai Island (West Sumatera), Nunukan (North Kalimantan), Talaud (North Sulawesi), Morotai (North Maluku), Biak-Numfor (West Papua), Sarmi (Papua), Mimika (Papua), Tual (Maluku), Rote Ndao (East Nusa Tenggara/NTT), Maluku Barat Daya (Maluku).
Besides that the government is also building cold storages.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Pudjiastuti Susi said a cold storage facility with a capacity of up to 3,000 tons will be set up to store fish catch of fishermen in Natuna. "I will join the president tomorrow during his visit to Natuna to see the development of projects there," Minister Susi told a press conference at the KKP building on Wednesday (Oct 5).
According to Susi Pudjiastuti, the cold storage facility will be set up by the state-owned fishery firm, Perindo, in the area of the Lampa Strait.
She said fishermen fishing in Natuna waters must use such fishing gear that is friendly to the environment because the local people do not want any damage to the marine life. Using fishing gear that is not environmentally friendly can wreak such damage.
The central government will also build an integrated cold storage this year in the district of Merauke to support efforts to increase fisheries and marine production in Papua.
A deputy at the office of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Agung Kuswandono, said the plan to build the facility was in line with the policy of President Joko Widodo to make Indonesia a world maritime axis.
The integrated cold storage would be built with funds from the state budget. It will be built under the Marine and Fisheries Ministry, Agung informed said on Sunday.
Production is now being expedited. The most important effort now being made is how to send back the fishing boats to operate at the sea again, according to Riza Damanik, an expert staff at the Presidential Staff Office, stressed on Monday.
In order to increase fisheries production, campaigns to prevail upon people to consume more fish should also be intensified. Fish consumption is not yet commensurate with the consumption of beef and chickens.
The government is also making efforts to increase the utility factor of the UPIs so that by 2019, the minimum target of 80 percent utility factor could be achieved.***1***
(A014/INE)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 06-10-2016 21:2 |
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