RI Needs To Focus Development On Fisheries

News Focus - INDONESIA NEEDS TO FOCUS DEVELOPMENT ON FISHERIES By Andi Abdussalam Jakarta, Oct 16 (Antara) - With two-third of its area as water, Indonesia should focus on developing its fishery sector to become the world`s seventh biggest economy by 2030. The development model in Indonesia, the world`s largest island country, is still terrestrially oriented, though it is actually the fishery sector that can catapult the country into one of the world`s largest economies, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said. "So far, the orientation of development in Indonesia has remained focused on land," Sutardjo stated. The McKinsey Global Institute, in a report entitled "The Archipelago Economy: Unleashing Indonesia`s Potential," said that the fishery sector was a main sector which could help boost Indonesia to become an advanced economy by 2030. "By that year, Indonesia`s economy will emerge as the seventh biggest in the world, outpacing even those of Germany and Britain," Minister Sutardjo said. The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister added that development in Indonesia should now be focused on the sea because most of the land based biodiversity has been depleted. Indonesia still has a rich marine potential, which is yet to be tapped into. Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, a former marine affairs and fisheries minister, said that Indonesia comprises 17,504 islands with a coastal line stretching as long as 104,000 kilometers, and was a maritime nation in the past. "But now Indonesia has lost its iconic status as a maritime nation that it once enjoyed during the era of the Majapahit and Sriwijaya kingdoms," Kusumaatmadja, who is now an adviser at the marine affairs and fisheries ministry, said. Kusumaatmadja said people often misunderstood that Indonesia was a maritime country because it had a vast water area. A maritime country should also have an advanced marine industry, products and commerce. Indonesia has not yet reached that stage, including having an advanced and reliable navy. Therefore, the country should focus its development on the marine sector. "The marine potential could be exploited to the maximum to boost Indonesia`s economic growth and ensure the welfare of the people," Kusumaatmadja said. Minister Sutardjo pointed out that through the Juanda declaration of 1957, Indonesia was designated as an island country, with an exclusive economic zone of about 200 miles from its coastal line. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries had earlier claimed that it has been applying research to develop technologies appropriate to the requirements of fishermen across the various regions of the country. "The technology being developed by the marine affairs and fisheries ministry has been tweaked, keeping in mind the needs of fishermen and the coastal people in general," he stated. Developing world maritime science was essential because Indonesia was yet to utilize its great marine potential, Sutardjo stated, while delivering a general lecture at a private university during an event entitled, "Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran," recently. He also reiterated that with 17,504 islands and a 104,000 kilometer-long coastline, serious efforts should be made to tap into the country`s considerable marine potential as much of the Indonesian mainland`s biological resources have already been depleted. It was with this in mind that Indonesia should develop maritime science for its younger generation. The minister further stated that the development of maritime science could encourage the youth to find an affinity with the area of sea development in Indonesia, which is an island country. On its part, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has remained consistent in restructuring the pattern of maritime and fisheries development by adopting the concept of sustainable development with an emphasis on the Blue Economy model. In the meantime, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has expressed the hope that marine development would focus on the fishery sector to ensure the welfare of about nine million fishermen in Indonesia. Kadin noticed that an upward trend in Indonesia`s marine and fishery product exports has been noticed over the past three years. Increase in export of fishery products results in prosperity for fishermen. "I do not think it will be of any use if our turnover continued to increase but did not add to the welfare of fishermen," Kadin Deputy Chairman for Fisheries Affairs Yugi Prananto said. Kadin data showed that Indonesia`s fishery exports in 2010 stood at US$2.86 billion. These increased to US$3.52 billion in 2011, and US$3.85 billion in 2012. "With the upward trend in the fishery export, we hope it will also improve the welfare of fishermen," said Yugi Prananto. At another seminar on the national green base at the Bogor-based Institute of Agriculture (IPB) over the weekend, Minister Sutardjo revealed that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country`s fishery sector in 2012 increased by 6.48 percent or Rp57.69 trillion to Rp255.3 trillion. "The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) showed that in 2012, Indonesia`s economic activities in the fishery sector were worth Rp255.3 trillion," Minister Sutardjo told the seminar. He said that in the second quarter of this year (2013), the GDP growth in the fishery sector was recorded at seven percent, compared to the data for the corresponding period last year. The growth is higher than the country`s economic growth which was recorded at 5.81 percent. In terms of economic size, the Rp57.69 trillion increase in the fishery sector, excluding the growth in other marine activities, was a big rise, according to the minister. He said Indonesia had 2.96 million hectares of fresh water cultured fishery potential, of which only 628,857 hectares or about 23.04 percent had been fully exploited. It also has 12.55 million hectares of sea cultured fish potential with a utilization rate of only 0.94 percent or 117,649 hectares. "The cultured fish potential still does not include the 541,100 hectares of fish ponds, 158,128 hectares of public water cultured fish potential and 1.54 million hectares of mina-padi (fish-rice farm cultivation) programs," the minister stated. With regard to catch fisheries, the minister said Indonesia has a potential for 6.5 million tons of fish per annum whereas in 2011, only about 5.71 million tons or 77.38 percent had been realized. He said that Indonesia`s water areas cover 5.8 million square kilometers, consisting of territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. These areas are abundant in natural resources, both renewable resources such as fish, coral reefs and mangroves, as well as non-renewable ones like natural oil, gas, minerals and other mining resources.