Thousands may lose jobs in N. Sumatra

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Some 12,000 cold storage workers in North Sumatra could lose their jobs because of a decree by the Ministry of Industry and Trade allowing the direct export of fresh shrimp, according to a local legislator.

"How can they not be laid off if fresh shrimp can be exported directly without being processed first?" Adil Sirait, a member of the provincial legislative council, said over the weekend.

He said the ruling, which was issued last year, violated a regional regulation on fresh shrimp exports, which requires exporters to follow certain procedures to obtain a health certificate from authorities.

"As a result of the decree, fresh shrimp is now flooding foreign markets, while at the same time the price of shrimp from the ponds of small farmers has plunged, leaving the shrimp farmers hopeless," Adil said.

He urged the North Sumatra administration to review the implementation of the decree, which he said had harmed the interests of shrimp farmers and the local economy. --Antara