Indonesia's Patin Fish Not Inferior To Vietnam

Jakarta, Aug 19 (Antara) - As the natural resources of patin fish in Indonesia are not inferior to Vietnam, so the Indonesian Government has set a high target for catfish production in the country, noted Slamet Soebjakto. "Indonesia`s natural resources for producing patin fish are at par with Vietnam," Slamet Soebjakto, the general director for aquaculture at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry stated on Tuesday. According to Slamet, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) have set an enthusiastic target of patin fish production that can reach 300 tons per hectare similar to that achieved along the Mekong River in Vietnam. He argued that the KKP has started promoting patin fish production in the tidal areas of the Batanghari River, Jambi. "It will increase the national production of patin fish and enhance the welfare of the surrounding community as well as the income of the area," he noted. In addition, he pointed out that the directorate general of Aquaculture has ensured the availability of good-quality patin seeds to anticipate a surge in demand, which is expected to rise in line with an increase in patin cultivation. Earlier, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Unitary Indonesian Traditional Fishermen (KNTI) M. Rizal Damanik emphasized that Indonesia`s fisheries and maritime sector is marginalized from the mainstream of government. "Maritime as a new mainstream is always marginalized among other sectors such as mining and forestry," he affirmed. Therefore, the government should overhaul the fisheries and maritime sector to become more integrated, so that the maritime sector will help Indonesia to become a prosperous country. "At the same time, the sea acts as our boundary to utilize natural resources," he added.