Indonesia has more than 450 of 1,100 species of fresh water decorative fishes in the world and more than 700 species of sea decorative fishes.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is a potential exporter of decorative fishes and could earn up to US$65 million from the exports of the commodity a year, an official said.
Promotion, however, is needed to expand export market, Fishery Breeding Director General Slamet Soebjakto said in a press statement here on Monday.
Slamet said the country`s production of decorative fishes has increased from year to year.
In 2012, production reached 978 million fishes exceeding the target of 850 million, he cited.
Indonesia is the fifth largest exporter of decorative fishes in the world after the Czech Republic, Thailand, Japan, and Singapore.
"The prospects of business in decorative fishes in Indonesia is encouraging. The country has decorative fishes varying in forms of body and colors," he said.
Indonesia has more than 450 of 1,100 species of fresh water decorative fishes in the world and more than 700 species of sea decorative fishes.
Unfortunately the sea potential of the world`s largest archipelago is not sufficiently exploited to make decorative fishes, a major export commodity, Slamet said.
With the potential Indonesian could easily become the world`s largest supplier of decorative fishes, he said.
"A unified vision and mission is needed between the government, associations and stakeholders to support and speed up industrialization of decorative fish sector to make the country, the world`s largest producer of decorative fishes in 2015," he said.
He said the government has shown its seriousness in developing business in decorative fishes by building breeding ponds in the regency of Blitar, East Java in 2011, he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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