Deregulation of fisheries sector to be announced

JAKARTA (JP): The government will announce next week a number of deregulatory measures for the fisheries sector, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah says.

Speaking to reporters here yesterday, Sjarifudin said the planned deregulation, scheduled to be announced on Monday, is expected to increase the efficiency and revenues of that sector.

"The deregulation is the result of a series of talks between the directorate generals of sea transportation and of fisheries," Sjarifudin said after installing several officials of the ministry and of state-owned companies.

The fisheries sector period grew by an average of 5.65 percent a year in 1993-1995, with production reaching 4.2 million tons last year.

In the same period, fisheries exports increased by an annual average of 4.18 percent in volume and by 9.68 percent in value, reaching 574,234 tons worth $1.8 billion in 1995.

Indonesia aims to increase fisheries exports by 11 percent to $2 billion this year.

Sjarifudin explained that basically, the deregulation will simplify the lengthy licensing rigmarole which is currently required by both directorate generals; this will ease the bureaucratic procedures at ports.

The final discussions for the deregulation were scheduled to take place yesterday afternoon between Sjarifudin, Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto and Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto.

Sjarifudin declined to mention which licensing processes will be slashed or how much revenues the government will lose with the deregulation.

He said that the long-debated issue of easing imports of used fishing vessels will be included.

In the last couple of years, businesses have complained that locally-manufactured vessels are too expensive, while banks are reluctant to provide them with loans since the business is considered a risky one.

As a result, many fishing vessels operating in Indonesian waters are foreign ones chartered by Indonesian companies. The situation has led to illegal fishing and exports.

At yesterday's ceremony, Sjarifudin installed Soetidjab as inspector at the Ministry of Agriculture's inspectorate general; Ade Jauhara Wirasasmita as acting inspector for animal husbandry; A.H. Rahadian as acting inspector for food crops and horticulture; F.X. Murdjijo as chief commissioner at state-owned PT Usaha Mina; Dudung Abdul Adjid as commissioner at PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII; Hoesein Abubakar as commissioner at Usaha Mina; Samsul Chorib as commissioner at Usaha Mina; and Sudihartoyo as marketing director at PT Perkebunan Nusantara XIII. (pwn)