"Exports are accelerated but imports also increase drastically. Ironically, fish imports are dominated by fresh fish to meet the domestic need for production and consumption," Abdul Halim, Abdul Halim,an activist,said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian still depends on fish imports as importing fish is still a main trend in the country`s fishery food policy in 2012, a fishery coalition activist said.

"Up to the first quarter of this year the country has at least seven imported tuna commodities, regardless of the fact that tuna is Indonesia`s biggest sea potential," Abdul Halim, program coordinator of the People`s Coalition for Fishery Justice (KIARA), said here on Tuesday.

Besides, the country`s tuna potential has also become the target for exports, while at the same time Indonesia also continues to import other fishery potentials such as octopus, squid, and shrimp, he said.

He said that the fishery import policy had negative implications on the trade policy and the effort to reinforce national fishery resilience.

"Exports are accelerated but imports also increase drastically. Ironically, fish imports are dominated by fresh fish to meet the domestic need for production and consumption," Abdul Halim said.

Imported fishery products are not only in the form of process goods but also of raw materials which could be met at home from the Indonesian waters, he argued.

In the meantime, Saud Hutagalung, the director general of fishery product marketing, said that Indonesia`s exports of canned tuna fish rose 13 percent year-on-year to US$160.4 million in the first half of the year.

"The crisis besetting the United States and Europe had no significant effect on tuna exports," he said.

Exports rose 41 percent to the United States and 18.2 percent to Japan , Saud said on Saturday.

Demand is high for canned fishes from Indonesia, unlike fresh tuna or shrimp for which demand is on the decline, he said.

He said Indonesia is big producer of tuna fish to feed fish canneries mainly in North Sulawesi and East Java.

He said Indonesia needs to expand export destinations such as to Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Australia .

Russia, Africa and Australia are potential markets for canned fishes especially canned tuna, he said.

He said other ASEAN countries such as Thailand are the main rivals of Indonesia in the world market of canned fishes.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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