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107480
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 18:28
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News Focus: SEVERAL REGIONS COMPETING IN SEAWEED CULTIVATION By Bustanuddin.
Jakarta, Feb 15 (ANTARA) - Several regions in the country are now interested in developing seaweed cultivation activities due to its good prospects as a non-oil/non-gas export commodity.
Regions which have been competing to cultivate seaweed in the country are among others East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Bangka Belitung.
Relating to the regions' seriousness in developing the seaweed business, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu on Monday (Feb 15) inspected a seaweed cultivation location on Sumbawa island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
"We want to obtain first hand information about the cultivation of seaweed as a commercially promising commodity in West Nusa Tenggara," Pangestu said before leaving Mataram, capital city of NTB, for Sumbawa island to inspect the seaweed farms.
The minister said, her inspection of seaweed cultivation activity in Sumbawa island had to do with the government's efforts to reach national sugar, rice, and meat self-sufficiency in 2014.
"We are keenly interested in NTB`s commercially promising commodities, especially in Sumbawa island, and therefore we would like to have first hand information about it," Pangestu said.
Before leaving for Sumbawa island, the trade minister had a coordination meeting with Governor Zainul Majdi at his office in Mataram.
After the meeting, Pangestu said the government would soon revitalize existing warehouses where various vital commodities could be kept to protect their economic value.
"The government deems it necessary to revitalize existing warehouses as soon as possible so that the economic value of premier commodities can be preserved," the minister said.
In an effort to help boost the seaweed business, the central government through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has also set aside tens of billions of rupiahs to help farmers in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT)cultivate seaweed.
Rashid Djama Luddin, an East Nusa Tenggara Marine and Fisheries official said in Kupang, capital of NTT last week that the State Budget funds would be part of the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) and De-concentration Fund and be given directly to district governments in East Nusatenggara province.
Each district in East Nusa Tenggara province would receive Rp700 - Rp800 million from the De-concentration Fund and Rp2-5 billion from the Special Allocation Fund, he said.
"The De-concentration Fund amounts to more than Rp10 billion and the Special Allocation Fund more than Rp30 billion, each of the 17 districts in the province would receive Rp1-5 billion, but Maumere district would get Rp5 billion.
The financial assistance was to be provided for seaweed development aimed to meet the target set by the maritime resources and fisheries ministry.
"There is a lot of funding to boost seaweed development, but each district has the obligation to increase seaweed production because the central government wants East Nusa Tenggara to meet 40 percent of the country`s need for seaweed," he said.
Therefore, district governments should pay serious attention to seaweed cultivation and utilize the funds to achieve their respective production targets, he said.
Everybody in the province must help control the use of the government aid so that the seaweed production targets can be achieved.
In addition, the Central government would build two seaweed processing plants in the Eat Nusa Tenggara province in 2010, Governor Frans Lebu Raya said.
The plants would be located in Waingapu, Sumba Timur district, and in Maumere, Sikka district while, in fact, the one in Waingapu district had already been completed and would become operational next March, he said. Construction of the plant in Sikka district would begin later this year.
The governor said further that the seaweed processing factory in Waingapu would be used to process seaweed yielded by farmers in the districts of Sumba Timur, Sumba Tengah, Sumba Barat, Sumba Barat Daya and Sabu Raijua.
Meanwhile, the seaweed factory in Sikka district would process farmers' seaweed from across Flores island, Lembata and Alor district.
In addition, the provincial administration had also sent a proposal to the central government to construct another seaweed processing factory in Kupang district in a bid to process seaweed from farmers in the districts of Kupang, Rote Ndao and other regions on Timor island.
"We hope in 2011, the trade ministry will also build another seaweed factory in Kupang," Lebu Raya said, explaining that seaweed in the factories will be processed into a semi-finished products before entering the market.
The price of semi-finished seaweed products could reach some Rp30,000 per kg compared with only Rp8,000 to Rp9,000 h per kg for unprocessed seaweed, he added.
In the meantime, the NTB provincial administration has been trying to be the number one seaweed producing region in the country, vice governor, H. Badrul Munir said.
Head of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries NTB provincial office, H.M. Ali Syahdan said last Saturday that this province could yield a total of 100 thousand tons of dried seaweed in 11 months from January to November 2009.
NTB's productivity could be raised due to its seaweed potential that reaches 23 thousand hectares which are spreading in various districts, Syahdan said, explaining that so far only 6,700 hectares have been utilized.
Syahdan also expressed optimism that NTB provincial seaweed farmers were motivated to develop seaweed after knowing the fisheries and marine commodity was exported to many countries.
According to him, TNB's seaweed production continued to increase, namely in 2006 amounting 32 thousand tons, in 2007 reaching 36 thousand tons, in 2008 nearly 70 thousand tons and in 2009 around 100 thousand tons.
The NTB Seaweed production is expected to reach a maximum target of 800 thousand tons according to the existing potential, Syahdan, said.
Aside from that the location of seaweed potential in Central Sulawesi is 106.464 hectares, while that in Bangka Belitung province is about 700 hectares.
Regions which have been competing to cultivate seaweed in the country are among others East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Bangka Belitung.
Relating to the regions' seriousness in developing the seaweed business, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu on Monday (Feb 15) inspected a seaweed cultivation location on Sumbawa island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
"We want to obtain first hand information about the cultivation of seaweed as a commercially promising commodity in West Nusa Tenggara," Pangestu said before leaving Mataram, capital city of NTB, for Sumbawa island to inspect the seaweed farms.
The minister said, her inspection of seaweed cultivation activity in Sumbawa island had to do with the government's efforts to reach national sugar, rice, and meat self-sufficiency in 2014.
"We are keenly interested in NTB`s commercially promising commodities, especially in Sumbawa island, and therefore we would like to have first hand information about it," Pangestu said.
Before leaving for Sumbawa island, the trade minister had a coordination meeting with Governor Zainul Majdi at his office in Mataram.
After the meeting, Pangestu said the government would soon revitalize existing warehouses where various vital commodities could be kept to protect their economic value.
"The government deems it necessary to revitalize existing warehouses as soon as possible so that the economic value of premier commodities can be preserved," the minister said.
In an effort to help boost the seaweed business, the central government through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has also set aside tens of billions of rupiahs to help farmers in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT)cultivate seaweed.
Rashid Djama Luddin, an East Nusa Tenggara Marine and Fisheries official said in Kupang, capital of NTT last week that the State Budget funds would be part of the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) and De-concentration Fund and be given directly to district governments in East Nusatenggara province.
Each district in East Nusa Tenggara province would receive Rp700 - Rp800 million from the De-concentration Fund and Rp2-5 billion from the Special Allocation Fund, he said.
"The De-concentration Fund amounts to more than Rp10 billion and the Special Allocation Fund more than Rp30 billion, each of the 17 districts in the province would receive Rp1-5 billion, but Maumere district would get Rp5 billion.
The financial assistance was to be provided for seaweed development aimed to meet the target set by the maritime resources and fisheries ministry.
"There is a lot of funding to boost seaweed development, but each district has the obligation to increase seaweed production because the central government wants East Nusa Tenggara to meet 40 percent of the country`s need for seaweed," he said.
Therefore, district governments should pay serious attention to seaweed cultivation and utilize the funds to achieve their respective production targets, he said.
Everybody in the province must help control the use of the government aid so that the seaweed production targets can be achieved.
In addition, the Central government would build two seaweed processing plants in the Eat Nusa Tenggara province in 2010, Governor Frans Lebu Raya said.
The plants would be located in Waingapu, Sumba Timur district, and in Maumere, Sikka district while, in fact, the one in Waingapu district had already been completed and would become operational next March, he said. Construction of the plant in Sikka district would begin later this year.
The governor said further that the seaweed processing factory in Waingapu would be used to process seaweed yielded by farmers in the districts of Sumba Timur, Sumba Tengah, Sumba Barat, Sumba Barat Daya and Sabu Raijua.
Meanwhile, the seaweed factory in Sikka district would process farmers' seaweed from across Flores island, Lembata and Alor district.
In addition, the provincial administration had also sent a proposal to the central government to construct another seaweed processing factory in Kupang district in a bid to process seaweed from farmers in the districts of Kupang, Rote Ndao and other regions on Timor island.
"We hope in 2011, the trade ministry will also build another seaweed factory in Kupang," Lebu Raya said, explaining that seaweed in the factories will be processed into a semi-finished products before entering the market.
The price of semi-finished seaweed products could reach some Rp30,000 per kg compared with only Rp8,000 to Rp9,000 h per kg for unprocessed seaweed, he added.
In the meantime, the NTB provincial administration has been trying to be the number one seaweed producing region in the country, vice governor, H. Badrul Munir said.
Head of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries NTB provincial office, H.M. Ali Syahdan said last Saturday that this province could yield a total of 100 thousand tons of dried seaweed in 11 months from January to November 2009.
NTB's productivity could be raised due to its seaweed potential that reaches 23 thousand hectares which are spreading in various districts, Syahdan said, explaining that so far only 6,700 hectares have been utilized.
Syahdan also expressed optimism that NTB provincial seaweed farmers were motivated to develop seaweed after knowing the fisheries and marine commodity was exported to many countries.
According to him, TNB's seaweed production continued to increase, namely in 2006 amounting 32 thousand tons, in 2007 reaching 36 thousand tons, in 2008 nearly 70 thousand tons and in 2009 around 100 thousand tons.
The NTB Seaweed production is expected to reach a maximum target of 800 thousand tons according to the existing potential, Syahdan, said.
Aside from that the location of seaweed potential in Central Sulawesi is 106.464 hectares, while that in Bangka Belitung province is about 700 hectares.
