RI TO RESTRICT DRIED SEAWEED EXPORTS IN 2012

Jakarta, Nov 24 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government will restrict its dried seaweed exports in 2012 in an effort to boost seaweed industries at home, an official said.

"We will restrict our dried seaweed exports in 2012 at the latest, after which will stop them altogether," Victor P H Nikijuluw, director for business and investment affairs of the Directorate General of Processing and Marketing of Fishery Products (P2HP), said here on Tuesday.

So far, he said, seaweed processing industries at home had not yet been developed optimally. Data available at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) indicated that only about 15 percent of Indonesia's seaweed exports were in the form of processed products, while the remaining 85 percent were in the form of dried seaweed.

He said that in Indonesia there were only 10 seaweed processing industries which processed seaweeds of the eucheuma cottoni species, with a production capacity of 500,000 tons per annum.

In the meantime, dried seaweed exporters reached 100 companies.

Nikijuluw said that the DKP was preparing three options of policies on the development of seaweed processing in the country. He said that one of the option was to help increase the price margin of seaweed at the farmers' level and that of the producers.

"It can be imagine that now the price of seaweeds at the farmers' level is only rp5,000 per kg but the exporters' level it reaches one US dollar. It is the high price margin that we are going to lower," he said.***2***