"In the future, the marine affairs and fisheries ministry will revitalize counseling bureaus at all local marine and fishery offices throughout Indonesia`s provinces," Herman Suherman, the ministry`s head of the marine and fishery counseling center, said Monday.
The quality of fishermen, farmers and breeders will be improved, according to him.
The ministry has allocated budget to intensify its counseling program and to train more counseling staff members.
Meanwhile, Head of the Jambi marine and fishery office Herman Rahim said Jambi has huge potential in the marine and fishery sector which has not yet tapped optimally.
The province`s sea fish catch potential is 114,036 tons/annually, but only 39 percent has been exploited, while for general waters fishery product, the potential is 34 tons/year and just 17.8 percent is used.
The Jambi potentials for brackish water fishery is 18,000 hectares, but only 8.3 percent is exploited, general water aquaculture 115,000 hectares, and just 7.8 percent is used, and fresh water fishery 100,000 hectares, and only 23 percent is tapped.
"To optimize the use of the potential, we need skilled fishermen, breeders and farmers. Therefore, we fully support the program of the marine affairs and fisheries ministry to allocate funds for counseling activities.
Indonesia sets its 2010 fishery product exports at US$ 2.9 million.
"It is a US$0.1 million increase from last year`s US$2.8 million," Overseas Marketing Director of the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs Saut P Hutagalung said in Jakarta recently.
As to last year`s exports, Hutagalung said the value and volume were still being calculated by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).
Indonesia`s exports of fisheries products reached US$2.6 million in 2008.
Hutagalung added, his office still applies previous export marketing policy which included maintaining Indonesia`s traditional export markets in the United States, Japan and the European Union. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
