RI To Continue Implementing Blue Economy Concept

Jakarta, April 29 (Antara) - The Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs (MMFA) will continue implementing the blue economy concept in the national development, an official has said. MMFA head of statistic and information center Indra Sakti said in a statement on Monday that the blue economy concept would continue to be implemented, particularly in the the marine and fishery industrialization. Indra said the ministry on April 24, 2013 sent its delegates, led by the head of the Human Resources of Marine and Fishery Board, Suseno, to the 8th World Congress on Blue Economy in Madrid, Spain. According to him, the Indonesian delegates in the congress asserted to the world that the blue economy concept had been implemented in many Indonesian people`s business activities for decades, among others in the tilapia fish aquaculture in the North Sumatra. Meanwhile, Suseno said the participation of MMFA delegates in the congress was the follow-up of the mapping result of Nusa Penida, Bali, as a blue economy implementing area model, and as the follow-up of "Focus Group Discussion" (FGD) conducted last March. "The Blue Economy initiator, Gunter Pauli, in the discussion delivered 38 alternative follow-up plans, summarized in nine project proposing portfolio," Suseno said. He noted that the Indonesian delegates in the congress also explained the government role in implementing the blue economy at the macro level. Suseno said as the follow-up, MMFA along with related academics and practitioners intensively conduct the nature of development and enrichment in order to support the nature conservation. ""This is to realize a concept of an efficient, zero waste, and economy-effective way of the natural resource utilization," Suseno said. He added that the 8th Blue Economy Congress was participated in by 250 attendees from 32 countries, comprising of entrepreneurs, academics, NGOs, practitioners, researchers, governments, bankers, and other communities` representatives.