Thousands may lose jobs in N. Sumatra

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