The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) believes that the maritime and fisheries sector has great potential to drive the national economy, but it still has logistical and warehouse problems that need to be resolved and worked out optimally.
"We know that Indonesia`s fisheries potential, especially in the regions, is very large. But the logistical problems and the lack of warehouses or cold storage make this sector not yet maximally explored," the Director General for Promotion of Maritime and Fisheries Product Competitiveness of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Rifky Effendi Hardijanto, stated.
Therefore, the government has to boost the development of the country`s fisheries so that this sector would significantly contribute to the national economy. After all, gross domestic product target in the fisheries sector was not reached over the past two years.
Maritime and fisheries observer Moh Abdi Suhufan suggested that the government to increase the contribution of the national fisheries sector to accelerate production for fisheries gross domestic product (GDP).
"Fisheries GDP has never reached the production target, although it grew and exceeded national GDP growth level in 2015 when it reached 7.89 percent," Suhufan stated in Jakarta on Wednesday (Oct 24).
After that, he remarked that fisheries GDP growth had never reached 7 percent, but in the range of 5.15-5.95 percent, whereas in the government`s strategic plan, the KKP targets fisheries GDP growth at 8 percent, 9.50 percent, and 11 percent, respectively, in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
"It means that in setting the GDP target in each year, the government did not pay attention to the achievements in the previous year and the fisheries economic growth projections based on internal and external conditions," he noted.
However, Suhufan also expressed his appreciation for the government`s success and prominent achievements in maritime and fisheries development such as significantly increasing national fish stocks, reducing illegal fishing practices, increasing non-tax revenues, and increasing fish consumption.
The national fish consumption rate continues to increase, namely reaching 43.94 kilograms per capita in 2016, 47.34 kilograms per capita in 2017, and it is targeted to reach 50.65 kilograms and 54.49 kilograms, respectively, in 2018 and 2019.
Domestic demand for fish is increasing. That is because people are aware of the importance of eating fish for health.
According to Director General Hardijanto, the KKP is currently intensifying efforts to complete fishery warehouses, especially in the areas of fishery barns so that fisheries exports can also be increased.
He also reminded that the government has a National Fish Logistics System (SLIN) program, which refers to Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 26 of 2012 concerning the National Logistics System, which aims to increase capacity; stabilize the upstream-downstream fisheries production system; control disparity and price stabilization; and meet the domestic consumption needs.
"It is not just warehouses, and so we will also complete logistics. We invite all stakeholders or agencies, ministries, or other institutions to jointly promote the maritime and fisheries sector," he added.
Regarding exports, based on data from the KKP, the trend in the value of fishery product exports continues to increase. From January 2017 to April 2018, the value of fishery product exports increased by 20 percent, which indicates the higher level of overseas consumer confidence in Indonesian fishery products.
The value of fishery exports continued to increase until August 2018. The increase in export value in 2017 almost reached the export value in 2014 of US$4.514 million. The trade balance of fishery products is positive at $4.039 million in 2017.
Especially for America and Europe, fisheries product exports in 2017 amounted to $4.51 billion, with the largest market being the United States worth $1.81 billion, followed by Japan with $672.3 million, and ASEAN countries with $563, 9 million.
This year, fishery product exports are targeted to increase to more than $5 billion.
In order to achieve the target, marine products were promoted in the Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2018 at ICE-BSD City, Tangerang, Banten, from Oct 24 to 28, 2018.
The promotional activities with the theme "From Our Sea to the World" were organized by the KKP in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of the Director General for American and European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Silvy Gayatri Queen, remarked in a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday (Oct 18).
"The purpose of this activity is to encourage an increase in exports of safe and sustainable fishery products, while promoting the potential of regions that have superior marine potential," Queen added.
(A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/KR-BSR/A014) 30-10-2018 19:30:23
Reporter: Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Yosep Hariyadi
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
