Govt expects growth in fishing industry
Govt expects growth in fishing industry
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government is focusing its fishery policy on promoting
downstream industries to add extra value to maritime resources, a
government official says.
Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fishery Research and
Development Board head Indroyono Soesilo said on Wednesday the
government would attempt to improve the business climate to
attract investors to open downstream maritime businesses that
would increase the added value of the country's fishing output.
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fishery Freddy Numbery would
discuss government policies related to the development of
Maritime and Fishery businesses in a one-day seminar in Surabaya
on May 20, he added.
State Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman
would open the seminar which would be attended by about 50
fisheries experts.
"The government policies are expected to help accelerate the
growth of the country's maritime and fishery industries in the
coming years," Indroyono said.
Indroyono said the country's fishery sector grew by an annual
rate of 23 percent during the past four years.
Last year, fishery production contributed 2.12 percent to the
nation's gross domestic product (GDP) and fishery-related
industries 7 percent.
He said that the implementation of Presidential Instruction
No. 5/2005 on the empowerment of the domestic maritime industry
would also help accelerate growth in the sector.
According to the instruction, only Indonesian-flagged vessels
will be allowed to fish in Indonesian waters from 2007.
Foreign companies will be allowed to make investments in the
ownership of vessels and the establishment of fish-processing
factories.
Indroyono said the instruction would reinvigorate the domestic
ship building industry, which was expected to construct new
vessels with a total of two million dead weight tons per annum.
Ministry official Carunia Mulya Firdausy said with more
vessels, Indonesia was expected to increase its present national
catch from 4.1 million tons a day to 6.4 million tons. (001)