“An appropriateness survey and field visit have been carried out," the ministry's Capture Fisheries Director General Muhammad Zaini informed in a statement issued on Tuesday.
“The eco-fishing port project’s appraisal mission was also conducted last January, and it is currently in the loan agreement formulation process," he said.
The ministry expects it to be signed soon so that the development process can be commenced at the end of the year, he informed.
Samudera Belawan Fishery Port, North Sumatra, will be developed into an eco-fishing port with the help of an international loan or donation mechanism facilitated by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Zaini said.
Through the concept of eco-fishing, facilities within the port are expected to provide optimal services to people engaged in the fishery sector, he added.
In addition, it will also allow the implementation of the fish capture result traceability and quality of use standards to ease exports, he informed.
Meanwhile, Samudera Belawan Fishery Port chief Henry M. Batubara said that tidal floods due to high tide have become a routine problem at the port.
Moreover, several facilities within the port are not optimal, such as the road and the dock, he added.
The port is currently using half of the state-run fishery enterprise PT Perikanan Indonesia's land, but will open new land with the support of AFD, he disclosed.
With this development, in the future, the port will be able to serve more ships operating in the Malacca Strait, he said.
House of Representatives Commission IV Deputy Speaker Anggia Erma Rini expressed her support for the fishery port development project.
She also requested that the services for fishermen and entrepreneurs be continued to be bolstered, including land management with PT Perindo.
"This should be resolved soon. We will discuss it in the work meeting in the central later to support other fishermen welfare improvement programs," she said.
"Also, thanks for the input and opinion from the fishermen. We will collect and respond to them," she added.
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Translator: M Razi Rahman, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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