Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Convenes Stakeholders to Design Blue Coast Programme in Sorong
Aimas (ANTARA) – The Directorate General of Marine Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), together with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as an effort to design the implementation of the Indonesia Blue Economy for Coastal Livelihoods (Blue-Coast) Programme in Sorong Regency.
The Head of the KKP’s Marine Spatial Planning Task Force, Gulam Arafat, in Aimas, Sorong Regency, on Tuesday, said that the Blue-Coast Programme focuses on supporting marine spatial planning and increasing the productivity of fishing communities.
According to him, the Blue-Coast Programme aims to support marine spatial planning, increase the productivity of fishing communities through empowerment, connect production to markets, and ensure that the management of fisheries resources runs well and is structured.
“One of the biggest challenges for the fisheries sector today is connectivity with the market. Therefore, it is hoped that Blue-Coast will be able to address the marketing problems of coastal communities’ fisheries products,” he said.
He said that this FGD is an important part of obtaining input and suggestions regarding potential locations that will support the implementation of the strategic programme.
“In this FGD, we involve elements of the Sorong Regency Government to provide initial information as an important part of the preparation for the programme,” he said.
Currently, he said, the programme is still in the initial identification stage, and the implementation of the programme is planned to begin next year after the mapping of potential and problems in the target locations is completed.
As part of the initial process, the team will conduct sampling visits to several coastal villages, namely Arar Village, Jeflio Village, and Katinim Village, in accordance with the recommendations of the Sorong Regency Fisheries Service.
According to him, Sorong Regency was chosen as one of the locations for the Blue-Coast programme because it is included in the strategic plan of the Papua Barat Daya RPJMN (National Medium-Term Development Plan) and has great fisheries potential and coastal ecosystems, but still needs support for spatial planning and resource optimisation.
“I hope that through the collaboration of the government, communities, and international partners, the Blue-Coast Programme will be able to improve the welfare of coastal communities, strengthen resilience to climate change, and realise sustainable and inclusive marine spatial planning in Papua Barat Daya,” he said.
The Vice Regent of Sorong Regency, Ahmad Sutedjo, explained that the Blue-Coast Programme is a strategic initiative by KKP together with IFAD to encourage the implementation of a sustainable blue economy.
“Indonesia Blue Economy for Coastal Livelihoods, or Blue-Coast, is an initiative by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries together with IFAD to address the challenges of poverty, ecosystem damage, and marine spatial management in coastal and small island areas,” said Ahmad Sutedjo.
He added that Blue-Coast supports blue economy policies through the empowerment of coastal communities, increased food security based on sustainable supply chains, increased economic value of blue carbon, and strengthened support for data in the fisheries and marine sectors.
According to Ahmad, Sorong Regency has very large coastal areas, both on the north coast such as Makbon and in the southern part from the Sele Strait to Seget.
“This potential needs to be optimised and managed sustainably so that it can continue to provide benefits to the community, while also preserving the coastal and marine ecosystems,” he explained.