Lazy fishermen wasted recent monsoon

JAKARTA (JP): Many fishermen in the Seribu Islands, a group of islands north of Jakarta Bay, did not use their spare time wisely during the recent three-month west monsoon during which they could not go fishing.

"As a result, the produce they collected in nine months has simply thinned out in just three months," said Maharanto, the head of the City Agriculture Office.

"Actually, they could have used the time to do some farming or begin planting seedlings so that their livelihood will not always depend on fishing. The West monsoon is the best time to prepare soil for planting because the season is characterized by high rainfall, which creates a wealthy supply of water for the seedlings," Maharanto said yesterday.

According to Maharanto who visited the islands this week, the soil on the islands, such as that of Panggang and Untung Jawa islands -- both of which are considered underdeveloped -- is good enough to be used for the raising of crops.

"Breadfruit and coconuts, for instance, grow well on those islands," he said.

"They could have processed breadfruit into chips or flakes and extracted coconut oil to meet their own daily needs that they would not have to go to Jakarta to buy them. Residents of the two islands could have even sold the products to the other islands which are popular as tourist destinations," he said.

They still need guidance on how to effectively use their spare time, he said. (arf)