RI may ramp up exploitation of ocean for profit

RI may ramp up exploitation of ocean for profit

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the government formed a special ministry in 1999 to
manage Indonesia's marine resources, it has yet to implement a
comprehensive policy to exploit those resources as a driving
force for the country's economy, a researcher stated on Monday.

"We therefore propose that the government in power after these
elections consider adopting a `National Ocean Economic Policy'
(NOEP) as Indonesia's future economic model," said head of the
Bogor Institute of Agriculture's Sea and Seashore Research Center
(PKSPL-IPB), Tridoyo Kusumastanto.

He was speaking at a one-day seminar organized by his
university. The seminar, entitled "Indonesia Ocean Outlook 2004:
The Sea as the Nation's Future", was attended by officials from
the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and the Ministry
of Transportation, as well as representatives from regional
administrations, the business sector and the fishery community.

Tridoyo explained that his center was currently formulating
the new economic model, which he dubbed "oceanomics". It will
promote "sustainable and eco-friendly" exploitation of
Indonesia's potentially large, yet mostly untapped, sea resources
-- from fisheries, undersea mining and sea transportation to
tourism -- as its main economic driver, to the same level as its
current "land-based economic paradigm" for mining, forestry and
agriculture.

And because the new model was planned for the long haul, it
would need to be complemented with a "National Ocean Development
Policy" (Nodep) and a "National Ocean Governance" (NOG) to ensure
its continuity, he said.

The Nodep, he explained, would act as a roadmap and a
guideline for cooperation among 16 other ministries and
government institutions related to the development and management
of marine resources in line with the NOEP. The NOG, meanwhile,
would ensure the commitment and good-governance of the government
to implement the Nodep.

Commenting on the proposed paradigm, the head of the Ministry
of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs' research agency, Indroyono
Susilo, said that his ministry would totally support it, as the
ministry itself had been formulating a similar plan, and that it
was in line with the current development in the marine and
fishery sector.

According to data from the ministry and the Central Agency of
Statistics (BPS), fishery production alone had increased by an
average of 5.21 percent per annum from 5.11 million tons worth Rp
29.47 trillion (US$3.47 billion) in 2000 to 5.95 million tons
valued at Rp 44.793 trillion in 2003. In the same period, fishery
exports had increased by an annual average of 7.09 percent from
$1.67 billion to $2 billion.

"Contributing 2.5 percent to the nation's gross domestic
product (GDP) last year, the fishery sector became the third
largest non-oil, non-gas foreign exchange earner after the
forestry and agricultural sectors," Indroyono said.

He said the new paradigm would hopefully increase the fishery
sector's contribution to 10 percent by 2009, with exports
reaching $15 billion.

Support also came from representatives of regional
administrations, including the Bangka-Belitung province, whose
fishery sector has a production potential of 1.81 million tons
worth Rp 19.66 trillion per year.

"The main problem now is how we can obtain funding -- whether
from the central government or foreign investors -- to fully
develop this potential," said Bangka-Belitung vice governor
Suryadi Saman. "We are also facing problems from rampant illegal
fishing by foreigners in our waters, hampering the activities of
local fishermen."