New fisheries ministry urged for new Cabinet

New fisheries ministry urged for new Cabinet

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Fisheries Community on Monday
urged President Abdurrahman Wahid to set up a ministry in charge
of sea and inland fisheries development in the new Cabinet which
he is to announce early next week.

"A ministry in charge of sea and inland fisheries will allow
for the design of a well-integrated policy to develop this sector
in a sustainable manner into a leading export industry," Sutara
Martadisastra, chairman of the community, said in a statement.

This, according to Sutara, is also in line with President
Abdurrahman's recent policy statement that singled out fishing as
one of the locomotives to drive economic recovery.

Fishing now comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Marine Resource Exploration and Fisheries.

He added that in this vast archipelagic country fishing is
indeed one of the most promising sectors that can help lead the
nation out of its current economic crisis.

The community said that Indonesian fishing exports averaged
US$2 billion a year over the last two years, and expanding
exports to as much as $10 billion a year within three to five
years was not overly ambitious plan.

"But this sector should be supported by a well-integrated
policy covering both sea and inland fisheries, together with
processing, so as to make this industry highly efficient and
competitive," Sutara said.

Moreover, he added, the industry also contributes greatly to
enhancing food security and is highly labor intensive.

Not only fishing companies but also millions of fishermen
throughout the country are expecting a conducive development
policy from the new Cabinet, Sutara said.