Yogyakarta's 1st shrimp farming venture harvests

Yogyakarta's 1st shrimp farming venture harvests

JAKARTA (JP): Sultan Hamengkubuwono X inaugurated on Saturday
the maiden harvest at what is described by fisheries experts at
Gadjah Mada University as the first intensive shrimp farming
venture on the southern coastline of Yogyakarta.

"The success of this shrimp farming pilot project would open
up a great opportunity to develop the sandy, barren land on the
southern coast of Yogyakarta for the great benefit of the local
people," said the sultan, who is also the governor of Yogyakarta,
at the inaugural harvest at the coastal village of Pandansimo.

He said Yogyakarta's southern coastline had so far remained
idle because the sandy land and its salty water were not suitable
for any crops.

"But shrimp farming would create a new means of livelihood for
the local people," he said.

The shrimp farming project was developed by PT Indokor Bangun
Desa in cooperation with the fisheries and forestry departments
of Gadjah Mada University.

"This is a great start for the future development of hundreds
of hectares of intensive shrimp farming on the Yogyakarta
southern coastline by the local people," Indokor chairman Tony
Agus Ardie said.

Tony said while brackish-water shrimp farming had so far been
developed mostly on the northern coast of Java, the Indokor pilot
project showed that the southern coast could be turned into a
major shrimp producing center.

He added that while most other shrimp ponds could only support
two harvests a year and produced only about two metric tons of
shrimp per hectare per harvest, the pilot project using ponds
constructed with bio-precast concrete could generate three
harvests a year, each with a yield of four metric tons per
hectare.

Indokor has completed the first stage of development of the
project, which covers 15 hectares, including support
infrastructure, and will soon embark on constructing another 15
hectares of ponds.

"We will then help the local people to manage their own ponds
using our technology and with our own ponds as the agent of
development," he said.

Therefore, Tony added, the project has from the outset
employed locals, both as laborers and trainees, so that they can
gain adequate skills in shrimp farming.

Later next year when the second stage of development is
completed, approximately 400 locals will have gained enough
skills to become shrimp farmers, he said.

"The participation of Gadjah Mada University in the project is
also quite crucial as research and development is vital for
environmentally friendly and sustainable shrimp farming," he
noted.

The project also will function as a research and development
center for shrimp farming, a quality-control laboratory, a
training center for shrimp farmers and will provide field
practice for Gadjah Mada University students.

As the developer of the shrimp complex, Indokor will be
responsible for constructing ponds, training shrimp farmers,
financing research and development and providing basic
infrastructure, he said.

Tony expected the project would eventually be able to develop
a 200-hectare shrimp complex complete with cold storage, a feed
mill and a hatchery. (vin)