"The ban is inviolable and must be implemented to protect domestic fish production," he said here on Tuesday.
He said many businessmen had come to him to ask to be allowed to import fish and shrimp.
"Many times they came to ask for the revocation of the ban but I always said no and they finally retreated," he said.
Fadel said the positive impact of the ban was that a number of boats from Jakarta had come to Ambon to buy fish.
"The result of the ban is "kembung" fish (rastrelliger) from Ambon has entered Jakarta," he said.
He said it was this kind of fish that had been confiscated during recent inspection in Jakarta.
"The fish species`s potential is relatively big in Maluku waters and so they should not import it. This will make the country lose and coastal people could not improve their welfare. Therefore the import must continue to be banned," he said.
He admitted that the price of kembung fish in Ambon reached Rp8,500 per kilogram while the price of the imported one is only Rp4,000 per kilogram.
"So there must be a policy to ensure the sustainability of the fish market in Ambon so that there will be no reason for investors to hesitate to come to Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, " he said.
"I was glad to see that boats docking at Tantui fish port were from Muara Baru and Muara Angke, Jakarta, to buy fish here," he said.
(SYS/H-YH)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
