Central Java fisheryfolk sink in debt

By Haryoso

SEMARANG (JP): The Central Java high seas are rich in marine resources; most notably fish but, ironically, loan sharks, who prey on local fisherfolk by throwing them into the jaws of sheer poverty.

Sarman, 35, Tarmin, 40, and Yasno, 34, who are fishermen living in Tambak Lorok village, East Semarang, are good examples of the typical hard life that tens of thousands of Central Java fishermen lead.

In a seven-by-two-meter motorboat, the three men go out on the rough seas at 4 a.m. with only 10 liters of spare diesel oil and food worth Rp 25,000.

Armed with 15 fishnets each, they set off for the waters around the Karimunjawa islands, which is about a 14-hour trip from Semarang.

As soon as they arrive at their destination, they switch off their engines to save fuel.

"If we are lucky, we can catch up to a ton of fish," said Tarmin.

For a few months now their catch has been very small. They take home no more than 10 kilograms of fish. They sell it at Tambak Lorok fish market from Rp 4,000 to Rp 7,000 per kilogram. Their average earning varies between Rp 40,000 and Rp 70,000. Expenditures consist of Rp 6,000 for diesel fuel, Rp 25,000 for food and Rp 50,000 for boat rental. Often, the expenses outweigh the income.

They are lucky if the boat owner understands their situation. During "unlucky days" the owner will charge only one-third of the normal boat rental. The remaining may be paid when the catch is better. The system sounds generous but in fact it keeps the fishermen's debt mounting every day.

The off-season, when the catch is poor, usually starts from December or January or even March.

Most fishermen do not have other skills. During the off- season, or the west monsoon, they just spend time talking with their family. They will rely on neighbors or moneylenders for their daily necessities. They will pawn their valuables, like gold or TV sets. But most just borrow money because they do not have valuables to pawn.

"When such a crisis arrives, my wife and three school-aged children need Rp 1,000,000 to survive for three months. We are compelled to borrow money from the boat owners. The debt must be paid when the catch is good again," said Tarmin.

Loan sharks set interest rates at between 15 percent and 20 percent a month.

Sarman and Tarmin said that in order to be able to pay their debt during the off-season, they must work hard for more than six months.

The same plight also occurs to fisherfolk in Pati, Rembang and other places in Central Java. Thus, the fishermen are never free from the loan sharks' jaws.

Hope

Chairman of the Central Java regional office of the All- Indonesian Association of Fishermen (HNSI) Tuk Setyohadi places his hopes only on the Fishery Agency, Ministry of Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and the branch offices of HNSI to continue fostering the fishermen so that they can help the welfare of their families.

"These three agencies are the most responsible for uplifting the fishermen's living standards," he said.

He puts part of the blame on the high level of rent that the boat owner sets. He estimates that the ratio is 10 to one for the boat owner.

"The distribution of the yield should be reassessed. Hopefully, boat owners will get six or seven parts while fishermen get three or four parts. An agreement must be sought. It requires the participation of the Fishery Agency and the cooperatives ministry," he said.

Another method is to extend credit to the fishermen so they can own motor boats. If farmers can get cheap credit, why can't fishermen get the same, he said.

Mafia

Syafruddin Budiningharto Suharto, a teacher at the School of Economics of Diponegoro University in Semarang who often makes a study of the life of fishermen in Central Java, said that people like Sarman and friends make a large contribution to the industry.

The average annual yield of fish is 4.8 million tons in Central Java. Seventy percent comes from fishermen like Sarman, he said.

"But why do they remain poor? Because it involves a mafia network," he said.

This network, he said, fixes the price of fish from the markets to the fish factories.

The dependence of fishermen on this group is, in fact, not a new problem.

However, fishermen do not complain. It is understandable as the members of this group always talk nicely. "The mafia lend their money without complicated conditions, and much easier than official institutes like the village credit cooperatives or banks," said Syafruddin.

It is most unfortunate, he said, that they are the fishermen's only hope when the off-season arrives.

The government has not issued a regulation aimed at improving the welfare of fisherfolk. Law No. 9/1985 on fishery is considered to be ineffective and fails to protect people.

This regulation, Syafruddin said, is good only for the fish- processing plants. "I propose that it is necessary to have regulations to protect the poverty-stricken fishermen."

In order for fishermen to obtain a high price for their fish, he proposed that it be necessary to fix a standard price, such as is the case of rice.

Director General of Fisheries Untung Wahyono said so far the market was not in favor of the fishermen because of the long chain in the fish trade. The result is that fishermen cannot directly market their yield.

"Fishermen have a weak bargaining position. They lose to the middlemen," he said.

Fishermen usually sell their catch to cooperatives. But before the fish can arrive there, the middlemen interfere. This is where the problem begins.

"Therefore we propose that fisherfolk sell their product in the market."

Only when they are free from lenders and they can sell their catch at the market will the living standard of fishermen's families improve.