It is because the province has a big fishery potential for the prosperity of the nation.
Therefore the government through four related ministries on Tuesday discussed Maluku`s status as the national fish barn at a coordinating meeting here.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad, State Minister for Disadvantaged Regions Ahmad Helmi Faisal Zaini, Transportation Minister Freddy Number, and Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono held the coordinating meeting to specifically discussed the matter.
"Our discussion is to place the launch of Maluku as national fish barn on a solid footing," Agung Laksono said after the meeting.
Agung said the status of Maluku as national fish barn came up during the international marine event of Sail Banda 2010.
At the apex of 2010 Sail Banda marine event on August 3 in Maluku provincial city of Ambon, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared the province as the country`s fish barn for abundant fishes in its waters.
Indeed Maluku province has a big fishery potential of 1.64 million tons per year for the prosperity of the province and the nation as well.
The president at the time also promised that the government would
fully support the effort of Maluku people to step up the fishery products in the province.
"Maluku has a big fishery potential for the national welfare and therefore I fully support the province`s effort to be the national fish barn," President Yudhoyono said in Ambon then.
The province actually has 600,000 sq km of sea with an extensive marine resources for the local people`s prosperity, and to support the economic growth.
Besides keeping the largest amount of fish in the country, the president said that the declaration of Maluku as the country`s fish barn was due to its extensively diverse marine ecosystem.
Because of that, "the government will fully support the development of maritime and fishery sector in Maluku," President Yudhoyono promised at the time.
Now that President Yudhoyono`s promise is being realized, the government through its related ministries this year will provide Rp950 billion to support the national fish barn program in Maluku province.
"The amount of the funds provided by the government for the program is Rp950 billion," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhamad said here on Tuesday.
Fadel made the statement after a coordination meeting at Coordinating Ministry for People`s Welfare to set Maluku as national fish barn.
Although Maluku provincial government has proposed Rp16.1 trillion for the program, Fadel said the amount of Rp950 billion would be sufficient to make the province the country`s fish barn.
Fadel said that Rp140 billion of the total funds of Rp950 billion would be provided by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry while the rest would come from a coordination with other related ministries.
For now Fadel said his ministry still focused on Maluku to realize the national fish barn program because a lot of fishery products in the province have yet to be worked out.
The fisheries minister explained that Maluku had capture fisheries potential of 1.6 million tons per year but the total product was only around 300 tons per year.
By confirming Maluku as national fish barn, Fadel expressed hope that fisheries product in the province could be improved through the appropriate management of various fish ports there.
Fadel also asserted that all fisheries product in Indonesia should first be processed at home before being exported.
Therefore the minister has said earlier in Ambon that the government would ask private parties to build fish processing industry in Maluku province.
"Private parties are called on to build fish processing industry in Maluku so that the marine products can give major contribution to our economy. Let us manage the marine products properly to increase their added value and therefore let`s give an opportunity to private parties to involve," Fadel said in Ambon the year before.
Fadel at the time said the government had invited the private parties to play their role in fish processing industry development because the government had limited ability to do it all alone.
"The fishery potential existing in Maluku must be used to support the economy of this region in particular and Indonesia in general," Fadel said at a symposium on "Indonesia-Australia Business and Surveillance Forum" in Ambon.
In a bid to use the fishery potential to support the national economy, the Marine Resources and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) will this year make every effort to improve fishermen`s welfare by revitalizing fish auction halls (TPI) across the country.
"We are going to implement a business-oriented concept in the fish auction halls across the country in our effort to step up fishermen`s welfare," Fadel Muhammad said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He said the revitalization of around 968 fish auction halls across the country was important part of the efforts to improve fishermen`s welfare.
Fadel said his ministry would provide around Rp3 trillion in funds for the effort and other related program such as provision of adequate housing for fishermen.
In addition, Fadel also said a presidential instruction (Inpres) would be issued for the improvement of fishermen`s welfare.
He said the Inpres was expected to increase the fishermen`s income and provide them with food and capital assistance because recent extreme weather had hampered their catch.(*)
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
