The farmers group has proposed additional capital loans for the development of its fish and lobsters` ponds
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Golkar Party is helping to empower the people in economic terms by providing them with business guidance and loans, a party executive said.

"Our goal in helping empower the people economically is to provide them with a chance to do business and to earn an income so that they can become self-reliant," Golkar Party Treasurer Airlangga Hartarto said here on Sunday.

Airlangga who is also chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission VI on trade and investment said Golkar was now providing financial assistance to fish farmer groups in Bogor district, West Java.

He said Kosgoro, one of the party`s business organizations, was providing guidance for the `Mina Karya` fish farmers group in Cogreg village, Parung subdistrict, Bogor.

With the assistance, the group has successfully carried out its first lobsters harvest after they bred the shrimps for about six months.

The first harvest carried out on Saturday, April 4, was attended by Golkar general chairman Aburizal Bakrie and Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad, Airlangga Hartarto and other Golkar executives.

"The farmers group has proposed additional capital loans for the development of its fish and lobsters` ponds," Airlangga said.

Therefore, Golkar encouraged the ministry of maritime affairs and fisheries to provide credits for fish and lobsters groups which had business potentials.

On the occasion, Fadel Muhammad extended a business loan of Rp1 billion to ten fish farmers groups in Bogro. Each group would obtain Rp100 million.

Fadel said that the extension of the business loans to the fish farmers group constituted a realization of the government`s `mina politan` fish-based development programs where regions which had the potentials were to be empowered.

"In villages which have fish potential, we call the program as `Mina Pedesaan` (village fishery program) which is to be carried out to develop land fish pond projects," the minister said.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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