"I am committed to improving the quality of Indonesian fish exports. If you are interested, please come to Indonesia. We now have a regulation allowing 100 foreign ownerships unlike before when we only allowed minority holdings," Indonesias Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Susi Pudjiasti said in a press statement issued by her office and received here on Thursday.
Minister Susi is currently in Russia with President Joko Widodo for the ASEAN-Russia Summit in Sochi.
She said she hoped Russia would set up a fish processing center in Indonesias eastern region so that the quality of fish and exports from Indonesia are improve in the future.
"Sixty percent of tuna in the world comes from Indonesia. Local fishermen fish them and with good facilities they are being frozen and processed and that is why our products are fresher," Susi said.
She added that foreign investors might not be allowed to fish, but they will be allowed to set up fish processing companies, which may be owned up to 100 percent.
The minister said she has been appointed as a special envoy for Russia so that she can facilitate everything for Russia and its businessmen wishing to do business in Indonesia.
On May 2, a Indonesia-Russia Working Group on Trade, Investment and Industry (WGTII) meeting, which is an annual meeting of trade working groups under the framework of the implementation of the Indonesia-Russia Joint Commission Meeting, was held in which Russia expressed a wish to cooperate in the maritime field, offering its experience, as well as science and technology, which Indonesia could take advantage of.
The cooperation may cover development of fish culture integrated with a power generation center, which is currently in use in Russia and cooperation in sea radar technology to monitor Indonesias waters.
Russia has reportedly also committed to supplying ships and aircraft for use in sea patrols, as well as passenger/commercial aircraft, and plans to invest in the development of 15 integrated fisheries and marine centers.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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