"We need to encourage industrialization in the maritime sub-sector in which the development is still around 4.16 percent; the contribution of the maritime industry is still very low," the ministry's deputy for maritime resources coordination, Firman Hidayat, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
According to him, Indonesia has 12 million hectares of sea area for cultivation. So far, only 0.8 percent of the cultivation area has been utilized for seaweed.
The figure is relatively low when compared to Japan and the Philippines. Indonesia has the geographical advantage with year-round sunshine to support seaweed harvests all through the year, Hidayat pointed out.
"Compared to the Philippines, they have tornadoes. Naturally, our location has an advantage," he added.
He said that seaweed can be processed into several products with economic sales value, including biostimulants that can help reduce fertilizer subsidies, food products, biodegradable plastics, and biofuel mixtures that can help cut dependence on imported fuel.
However, maritime resources in the form of waves, tidal energy, and wind have not been utilized for new renewable energy, he noted.
Such opportunities can increase economic potential from the maritime sector to be developed through research and utilization of technology, in collaboration with various parties to explore and utilize maritime resources, Hidayat said.
Moreover, maritime development must not rule out the aspects of sustainability as per the blue economy concept, he reminded.
This sustainability effect is important since it can impact the world. Hidayat explained that oceans account for 90 percent of all water on Earth, and are capable of absorbing 50–80 percent of oxygen, 30–70 percent of carbon dioxide, as well as 90 percent of the Earth's excess heat.
"If we do not protect (the sustainability of) the sea, there will be no life on this Earth. Therefore, it is important to maintain the sustainability aspect," he said.
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Translator: Sinta Ambarwati, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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