Rising Fishing Costs Leave Terate Village Fishermen Increasingly Reliant on Equipment Support
Fishermen in Terate Village, Serang Regency, Banten, are becoming increasingly reliant on fishing equipment support amidst rising operational costs and unstable catches. This situation has made assistance with fishing gear a crucial pillar for the sustainability of traditional fishing businesses.
Robani Hambali, Chair of the Berkah Bahari Jaya Cooperative, stated that equipment aid provided by PT Multi Nabati Asahan (MNA), part of the Wilmar Group, since 2019 has helped fishermen maintain productivity as sailing costs continue to climb. The programme is distributed through the cooperative, which now has 215 fisherman members.
“The equipment assistance greatly helps fishermen because operational costs continue to rise, while catches are not always stable,” Robani said some time ago.
According to him, the assistance provided includes nets, boat hulls, biofloc ponds, and river normalisation. This equipment constitutes the primary needs of fishermen, which must be replaced or repaired periodically to keep fishing activities running.
The cooperative’s presence also boosts the economic turnover of the coastal community. Currently, members of the Berkah Bahari Jaya Cooperative operate around 40 small boats and 60 medium-sized boats to fish in the waters around Serang.
Robani revealed that the challenges faced by fishermen do not stem solely from rising operational costs. Changing weather patterns and economic pressures are also driving some fishermen to switch to the industrial and factory sectors developing in the Banten region.
“Conditions for going to sea are increasingly difficult now. Many fishermen are starting to look for other work in factories. Therefore, we hope for future support for developing other businesses such as fish farming or livestock so that the community has additional sources of income,” he added.
The impact of these conditions is becoming apparent with reduced activity from a number of boats that no longer regularly go to sea. Consequently, the cooperative hopes for additional support in the form of business capital so that the community has alternative income sources outside the fishing sector.
Wilmar Industrial Estate Head, Byron Oswald, said the company continues to run programmes focused on improving the welfare of communities around its operational areas. The support for Terate Village fishermen is part of efforts to strengthen the local economy in the coastal area.
According to him, the company will continue to open dialogue with the community and the cooperative to identify the most relevant needs. This step is expected to support the sustainability of community businesses while helping them face various challenges in the coastal fisheries sector.