The strategies included development of low-cost houses, small and medium scale business diversification, more gas stations for fishermen, cold storage development, affordable public transportation, school and community health center facilities, and people`s banking facilities, Minister Fadel said at a coordinating meeting to discuss the draft budget for 2012, here on Tuesday.
Fadel acted as the chairman of the Coordinating Team for Intensification and Expansion of Pro-people Programs was established based on the presidential decree no. 10/2011, the marine affairs and fisheries ministry said in a press statement here on Wednesday.
"The Programs will be implemented in underprivileged fishermen areas, with fishery harbors as the basis. A total of 816 fishery ports will become the targets of the development. In the first phase, the programs will be implemented in 100 fishery ports and 400 more in 2012," Fadel told the press after the meeting.
The programs will target individual fishermen, fishermen`s groups, fishery port facilities and infrastructures such as boats, houses, schools, and scholarships for fishermen`s children.
Direct intervention for individual fishermen include land certificate provision, insurance, fishing equipment assistance.
Fishermen groups will be provided with among other things fishing boats and funds. Fishery ports will be equipped with facilities and infrastructures including mini cold storage, and formation of fishermen`s Solar Packed Dealers (SPDN).
The program is expected to help reduce the poverty rate in coastal areas.
Most coastal area residents are fishermen. They reside in a total of around 10,300 coastal villages, and some 25.6 percent of them are underprivileged.
The ministry which has allocated funds amounting to Rp127.823 billion to improve fishermen`s welfare in 2011, is trying to get additional funds from the government`s savings of Rp817 billion.
Several related ministries have expressed a commitment to support the programs.
The public housing ministry will construct 16,933 low-cost houses for fishermen. The energy and mineral resources ministry will supply electricity to 16,933 fishermen`s houses, and the public works ministry will install clean water facilities at 205 fishery ports.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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