RI'S FISHERY EXPORTS DOWN 10 PERCENT

Jakarta, Feb 25 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's fishery exports in January 2009 dropped 10 percent compared to the same period last year.

"Our exports dropped by 10 percent because orders were down as has been predicted," the general chairman of the Federation of Associations of Indonesian Fishery Businessmen (GAPPINDO), Herwindo, said to ANTARA here on Wednesday.

He said Indonesia's largest exports markets had so far been the US, Europe and Japan.

Worries over reduced orders for fishery products from those countries following the financial crisis that began in the US were only seen real early this year, he said.

He said the Middle East market that the government was just exploring was not significant enough to boost the country's exports.

"The people in the Middle East do not like fish, unlike those in Europe, the US or Japan. I am not sure it will be promising," he said.

He said the value of exports of fishery products would also plunge as a result of size demand. "Demand for a smaller size of fish will certainly reduce our margin," he said.

For fish products cultured privately the demand for smaller size would not reduce cost because the feed used would not decline much, he said.