"Indonesias economy in the maritime field comprises nine sectors: fisheries, energy and mineral resources (ESDM), biotechnology industry, maritime industry, maritime services, marine tourism, marine transportation, building, and sea defense," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar stated during a coordination meeting on Eradication of Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated Fishing held here on Tuesday.
The nine sectors are determined under Law No. 32 of 2014 on Marine, and the calculation of each sector or sub-sector is carried out based on the Classification of Indonesian Business Standards (KBLI) in 2015.
Based on the nine sectors and the KBLI, Indonesias maritime economic indicators currently reached 6.04 percent of the 2016 gross domestic product, with a value of Rp749 trillion.
In 2016, Indonesias workforce in the field of maritime economy had reached about 3.6 million people, with the value of exports reaching US$12.5 billion.
The fisheries and maritime sector has now become Indonesias prime source of economic income, Susi Pudjiastuti, the countrys minister of fisheries and maritime affairs, had stated earlier here on Thursday.
"Our rich resources, such as oil and mining, have been depleted and may not be restored. However, we still have one sector, which is the fisheries and maritime resources sector," she stated while installing Muhammad Yusuf as the inspectorate general in her office.
However, she pointed out that sustainability will not be achieved unless the sector is really preserved.
Pudjiastuti noted that the issuance of Presidential Decree Number 44, dated May 18, 2016, is one of the commitments made by President Joko Widodo to preserve the sustainability of the countrys maritime resources.
The decree has listed fish-catching activities as a negative area for foreign investment in order to reflect the nations victory over the sector.
"It is a national victory or the victory of the entire nation. However, we will lose the last thing we have, unless we preserve it well," she noted.
The minister also expressed pride over the countrys marine resources, which are varied and invaluable.
Pudjiastuti remarked that various policies she had implemented to eradicate illegal fishing, such as a moratorium on foreign ships, had helped to safeguard the countrys waters.
The minister appealed to the new inspector general, who is the former head of the Financial Transactions Analysis and Reporting Center, to not be swayed by any pressure that could arise from various parties in connection with his job.
UU. A063/INE
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Editor: Suryanto
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