"So, for example, if all 6 million tons (of fish) can be (caught), then the potential is around Rp12 trillion," Minister Trenggono said after a meeting on ‘Supervision and Law Enforcement in the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sector’ here on Tuesday.
In 2022, non-tax state revenues in the fisheries sector may not be optimal since a legal basis for a quota-based measurable fishing policy still needs to be finalized and preparations made, he added.
The minister said that the non-tax revenue of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry could be optimized in 2023 once the entire policy system is operational.
The minister prescribed limiting the capture of fish resources across Indonesia to 6 million tons per year out of the total 12 million tons available.
To illustrate the potential revenue generation, Trenggono said that if each kilogram of fish is worth Rp20 thousand and the non-tax revenue received by the ministry amounts to 10 percent, then the potential state revenue from fishing activities could reach Rp12 trillion a year.
In 2022, the volume of measurable fishing would not be more than 1 million tons, thus the maximum revenue potential for the state would be Rp2 trillion, Trenggono estimated.
This is because a legal basis for the measured fishing policy can only be completed at the end of April, and it will take three to four months to prepare the facilities and infrastructure.
He said that just capturing one million tons of fish alone would be extraordinary.
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The ministry will implement a quota-based measurable fishing policy to encourage better capture fisheries management by balancing the economy and ecology. The policy will be imposed in 6 zones in 11 Fisheries Management Areas of the Republic of Indonesia.
All fishing ships operating in Indonesian waters will need to be registered and will be allowed to capture fish based on a predetermined contract. Each fish caught will be subject to non-tax revenue, except for the fishing quota for traditional fishermen, which will not be subject to PNBP.
The government will also offer a chance to foreign fishing vessels to invest by catching fish in Indonesian waters based on the set quotas and conditions.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
