RI regulation effects Thai fishery owners

RI regulation effects Thai fishery owners

BANGKOK (JP): Thai fishery owners have complained they are
disadvantaged by a new policy which limits the operation of old
ships in Indonesia.

Sutara Martadisastra, chairman of Indonesia's Association of
Fishery Federations, said yesterday that the Thai businesspeople
made the complaint here on Tuesday.

Under Indonesia's new requirements used boats must be
constructed from iron; be no more than ten years old, and must
weigh between 100 to 300 tons.

Representatives of Thai fishery businesses in the Association
of Overseas Fisheries complained of the policies in a business
seminar here on Tuesday.

"Is the deregulation aimed at us?" Sutara quoted one of 21
representatives as saying. They said their boats, many of which
were made from wood and were more than 10 years old, and weighed
60 to 100 gross tons, were similar to those specified in the
policy.

"They said many of their boats which are more than 10 years
old still sail as far as Africa," Sutara said during a visit to
the Bang Pakong industrial park in Chonburi province, 57 kms from
Bangkok.

He said he had told Thai businesspeople and ministry officials
that the policy was not designed to damage Thai interests. He
said his association, and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, would convey their complaints to the Indonesian
government.

"The deputy to the director general of fisheries also said he
would write to the government about their concerns," Sutara said.

The Indonesian Association of Fishery Federations, he said,
had tried for three years to get permission to import used boats
to enable more local fishermen to sail in deep waters.

"A tuna canning plant in Manado (North Sulawesi) had to close
down because there were hardly any fish," Sutara said.

He said used boats cost about US$2 million compared to new
boats which cost at least $5 million.

Late Tuesday, Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of the Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a Thai-Indonesia Business
Council would be set up to provide information and other services
to people from both countries.

Bakrie said interest had been expressed in forming joint
ventures in canned vegetables and fruit. He said Thai business
representatives had been told Indonesia could pay a profit share
for the sharing of their skills could be paid to those who did
not wish to invest.

"Thailand has succeeded in its tissue culture of (kayu jati),
with a yield of only seven years," Aburizal said.

He also said Indonesians needed to learn how agroindustry
smallholder systems were managed.

An Indonesian owner of a pineapple plantation in West Java said
one problem in Indonesia was that "too many parties are taking
care of farmers...for the sake of benefits of government
projects,". This was especially when compared to Thailand where
plantation owners were willing to do business with smallholders
as it benefited them, he said. In Indonesia, government-sponsored
cooperatives at the village level often do not follow up measures
to promote smallholders, he said. (anr)