Data released by the Peoples Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) indicated that about 48 percent of fishermens family income was contributed by fisherwomen. Most fisherwomen spent some 17 hours a day to contribute 48 percent of the family income.
"Therefore, the government should recognize fisherwomens important roles and take them into account when it is drafting a funding budget in the fishery sector," Kiara Secretary General Abdul Halim said on Monday.
He said Kiara and the Indonesian Fisherwomens Solidarity (PPNI) were fighting for the recognition of fisherwomens roles by the government. He said the governments allocation in the marine affairs and fisheries sectors continued to increase over the past five years from Rp2 trillion to Rp7 trillion.
Abdul Halim pointed out that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is a group of 189 countries, had recognized the existence of fisherwomen and their important roles in the traditional and small scale fishery activities.
The important role of fisherwomen was proven through an in-depth study on the number, distribution and roles of fisherwomen in the world after a meeting of FAOs Fishery Commission on the fishery trade in Norway last February.
Kiara and PPNI thereby called on the government to also revise the law on fishery to include recognition and protection of fisherwomen. They also encouraged the participation of the state in the processing of fishery resources, which bridges the up-and down-stream fishery villages so that they will be competitive in the face of the ASEAN Economic Community.
A number of non-governmental organizations urged the government to revise the fishery Law No. 45/2009 on the amendment of Law No. 31/2004 by stressing the reorganization of fisherwomens important roles.
PPNI Secretary General Masnuah also pointed out that about 48 percent of fishermen families income was contributed by fisherwomen. Most of the fisherwomen worked more than 17 hours per day.
Unfortunately, the government has not yet fully supported fisherwomens activities, including their creative economic activities that have spread to 15 districts or municipalities.
Therefore, Kiara and PPNI recently held a meeting to formulate a call on the government to recognize the roles of fisherwomen both in fishery and family activities.
The meeting also aimed to facilitate an exchange of experience and horizons on the development of the creative economy, such as mangrove preservation, fish production, special coastal areas weaving and other activities, according to Masnuah.
PPNI and Kiara also asked the government to give priority to fisherwomen in the governments budget in an effort to protect fisherwomen and improve their welfare.
Regarding fishermens protection, Kiara secretary general Halim said his organization hoped that the government will increase its fund allocation for the protection of fishermen who go fishing in the sea.
"The number of missing fishermen and those dying in the sea continue to increase. The government should allocate protection funds in the state budget," Abdul Halim said on Monday.
He said based on Kiara data, at least 61 traditional fishermen were missing and had died in the sea since January 2014.
Compared with those in the same period in 2010, the number increased this year, so the Kiara urged the government to provide protection for traditional fishermen. "The state should be able to assure protection for the life of fishermen," he asserted. After all, in the past five years, the government has raised its allocation for the marines and fisheries sectors from Rp2 trillion to Rp7 trillion.
Meanwhile, the government said last march that its program to improve the welfare of fishermen was successful. It claimed its Fishermen Welfare Improvement Program (PKN) launched in 2011 had succeeded in improving the welfare of Indonesias fishermen.
"With government assistance, the incomes of fishermen have multiplied. Currently, they are able to go for a minor hajj pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Mecca), because they earn good incomes," Marines Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo claimed.
The PKN program is supported by 12-related ministries and government institutions. Through the program, the government has provided fishing boats to fishermen.
"The government provided fishing ships with a tonnage of more than 30 GT. With these relatively larger boats, they can fish at a distance of 100 miles into the sea. Previously, they could only sail 5 to 20 miles. In the past, they could only fish for about one to three days because their ships were small. That is why their incomes have multiplied by four to five times," the minister said.
Meanwhile, chief of the Indonesian Marine Council Secretariat Dedy Sutisna, who is also a former director general for catch fish affairs, said the PKN program did not only include assistance of fishing boats, but also help in the form of funds and other facilities.
The government provided other facilities so that if a fisherman cannot go fishing he can still earn an income. "We hope fishermen will always earn incomes. There should not be a time when they cannot earn any income," Dedy Sutisna noted.
He said poverty in the coastal areas affected 7.87 million fishermen, or about 25.14 percent of the nations poor living under the poverty line. That is why the national welfare improvement program is important for fishermen.
Under this program, Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo had handed over 35 fishing vessels worth Rp45 billion to fishermen groups in the Southeast Sulawesi province. The fishing ships consisted of 25 units, with a gross tonnage of 30 tons, worth Rp37.5 billion and of 10 units, with a gross tonnage that range between 10 and 30 tons, valued at Rp7.5 billion.
The funds for the procurement of the fishing vessels were taken from the 2013 and the 2014 state budgets. The Southeast Sulawesi province is one of the countrys biggest catch fish producers; therefore it needed the catching facility support.
"The central government through the Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) agency set aside funds from two consecutive year budgets for this province," Minister Sharif said.
The minister had also delivered 27 "Inka Minka" fishing boats worth Rp36 billion to fishermen in Aceh province. The fishing ships consisted of 12 units with more than 30 gross tonnage (GT) worth Rp18 billion and nine others of the same tonnage worth Rp13.5 billion. The other six ships have varying tonnage ranging between 10 and 30 GT.
However, the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Association (KNTI) said the fishing boat assistance program had not yet shown positive effects.
"Though the government had disbursed hundreds of billions of rupiah of state money, yet it had not yet created a positive impact on the majority of Indonesian fishermen," Riza Damanik, the chief patron of KNTI, said.
The KNTI found many problems in the field. The problems included problematic tenders; licensing; ship assistance going to the wrong persons; incorrect ship specifications including economic, social and ecological; and high operational costs.
(TA014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(KR-BSR/A014)
Reporter: Andi Abdussalam
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
