The Indonesian Fishery Business Association (Cappindo) has urged the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) to focus on helping local tuna businesses increase the volume of their production and boost exports to various countries.
“The ministry should focus on tuna exports because our exports in 2015 dropped by 14 percent,” General Chairman Gappindo Herwindo said on Wednesday.
According to Gappindo, if the Indonesian tuna export market is left vacant, then other countries will take over the market. This will pose difficulties for Indonesia in regaining market access, he said.
He predicted that the drop in Indonesia’s tuna export last year was among others caused by the government policy to impose a moratorium on the issuance of operation licenses for ex-foreign fishing vessels. The policy was announced by KKP Minister Susi Pudjiastuti some time ago.
The drop in the volume of exports of frozen fresh tuna was also as a result of the shortage of raw tuna for processed and canned tuna production at home.
“We hope the government will pay attention to and focus on the export of shrimps, tuna, seaweed and crabs. We should not think of others for the time being,” he stated.
It was earlier reported that the KKP is focusing on increasing cooperation in the investment sector, in an effort to reinforce national economic growth, which at present, is slowing down.
“In carrying out the sixth point of the government’s Nawacita (nine priority development) programs, namely accelerating the national economic growth, the KKP as the executor of the sixth program, is doing its best to help strengthen national economic growth,” Minister Susi said on January 11.
Apart from that, the KKP is also implementing its mandate for the fourth Nawacita program, namely combating the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the seventh; that is the food sovereignty and the development maritime and marine economy.
The implementation of the three Nawacita programs has been made clear in the KPP’s vision and mission in efforts to fight IUU fishing, create independence in the sustainable management of maritime and fisheries resources, improve prosperity with the mission on empowering, and make the fishery businesses competitive and sustainable.
“In an effort to create the mission and vision, the KKP needs harmonious cooperation with other countries,” the minister said, adding that the KKP is focusing on implementing its tasks, which support three of the nine Nawacita development programs. In this case, the KPP has allocated a budget, amounting to Rp13.8 trillion.
The budget, she said, will be used to maximize the uniform use of available resources in the maritime and fishery sector across the country.
The minister also acknowledged that her ministry was limited by the shortage of infrastructure. For that, the KKP is committed to building connectivity among islands by means of aircraft, ships, construction of ship-yards and a fishery processing industry.
2012 – Tempo Inti Media Tbk