RI'S AQUATIC EXPORTS MAY FALL SHORT OF TARGET THIS YEAR

Jakarta, July 5 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's aquatic product exports in 2009 may fall short of the government-set target of US$2.8 billion due to a shortage of shrimp supplies, a fishery official said.

"Exports in the January-March 2009 period saw a shortage of supplies due in part to a lack of shrimp production," Overseas Marketing Director of the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Saut P Hutagalung said here on Sunday.

Currently, fish processing units (UPIs) had difficulties obtaining shrimps for export, he said.

"Through better partnership between business associations such as 'Shrimp Club Indonesia' and 'Indonesian Cold Storage Businessmen Association (APCI), we hope it can improve production time to improve export performance," he said.

He said Indonesia lost a good momentum to increase aquatic exports. Supplies now stood at 4,000 tons, well below the UPIs' need of 6,000 tons to 7,000 tons, he added.

Unprofitable market situation in May and June 2009 posed a problem, he said.

The rupiah's appreciation against the US dollar, a shortage of shrimp supplies and the relatively high price of shrimp in the domestic market were another problem, he said.

Moreover, shrimp-producing countries such as Thailand were having grand harvest, he said.

"It would be better for shrimp farmers now to sell shrimps at home as domestic prices are higher than export ones," he said.

A drop in shrimp supplies was the result of shrimp farmers' worry about the impact of the global financial crisis prompting them to revise downward their production target for 2009, he said.***2***
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