Shrimp pond owners urged to give locals 5% of yields
Shrimp pond owners urged to give locals 5% of yields
TANGERANG (JP): Members of the Armed Forces faction of the
House of Representatives have called on shrimp pond owners to
share 2 percent to 5 percent of their harvests with local
residents to prevent further massive theft.
Leading a visit by House members to a pond in Salembaran Jaya
village in Kosambi on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi said the
recent shrimp thefts at several ponds by mobs would not have
happened if the pond owners had met the traditional custom of
giving an adequate amount of shrimps to local villagers.
Shrimp pond owners in the country commonly observe an
unwritten rule which allows local residents to collect shrimp
remaining in the ponds after harvesting has taken place.
"If in a harvest shrimp owners yield, say, 1.5 tons, the local
residents must be disappointed to only get a kilogram of
shrimps," Tayo said.
Accompanied by Tangerang Military chief Meris Wiryadi and
Kosambi district head Hermansyah, the House members visited a
shrimp pond belonging to Herman.
Herman owns some 40 shrimp ponds in Tanjung Pasir and Muara
Salembaran Jaya villages.
About 1.5 tons of shrimps were stolen from ponds in the area
on July 13 by 2,000 people who raided the area, causing Rp 180
million in losses.
According to Tayo, the incident reflected the disharmonious
relationship between businesspeople, the local administration and
residents.
He, however, believed the incident was not a crime but only
people expressing their disappointment at finding few shrimps
remaining in the first pond.
"The residents then took shrimps from the next ponds," Tayo
said.
A week after the incident, police questioned 80 villagers
before finally naming four people as suspects: two as
provocateurs and the other two as looters.
Tayo said pond owners should realize that villagers residing
around the ponds "indirectly safeguard the ponds".
He also urged pond owners to, for example, hire locals as
security guards in an effort to raise the villagers' sense of
belonging.
Sharing Tayo's idea, Kosambi district head Hermansyah hoped
the shrimp pond owners could soon restore their relationship with
the local administration and villagers.
"The owners haven't met us so far yet," he explained.
"Actually the ponds are the assets of the area too." (41/jun)