Photo: courtesy Antara News

Vaccine program brings hope of recovery to fishery sector: trade body

INDONESIA
Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 18:00 (GMT + 9)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The distribution of vaccines in the country has raised hopes of a recovery in the economy and business climate, including in the fisheries and marine sectors, according to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“It surely brings hope for us as businesses. Now is the best moment to boost products from the fisheries sector, not only to optimize the domestic market, but also the wider international market," said the chamber's deputy chairman for fisheries and maritime affairs, Yugi Prayanto, in a statement received here on Thursday.

He said he is optimistic the fisheries and marine sector can still grow and remain one of the main spearheads of the economy, despite being influenced by the dynamics of the national and global economy, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Actually, in 2020 the market movement declined, which also reduced purchasing power. Even so, this sector was still able to survive," he remarked.

In 2020, fishery product exports increased by more than 7 percent compared to 2019, and Indonesia was able to suppress imports of products in the sector by more than 12 percent compared to the previous year, Prayanto noted. That way, the fishery product balance rose by more than 9 percent compared to the previous year.

The export performance exhibited the strength of the Indonesian marine fisheries sector in boosting the national economy, even in difficult times amid the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the country in 2020, he explained.

He said Indonesia currently needs to focus on efforts to increase production, especially in the fishery sector. There are at least three areas that need attention — fisheries capture, cultivation, and processed products, he added.

The three main focuses, he continued, require technological innovation and good marketing strategies in the management of the production of the fisheries sector, so that exports of five commodities can be boosted, including shrimp, tuna, and skipjack as superior products and crab, cuttlefish-octopus, and seaweed as other potential products.

"It is hoped that in 2021 the government can participate in increasing the promotion of exports of Indonesian fishery products, especially in these five commodities, by paying attention to the three main focuses which are used as the basis for the development of these fishery products," Prayanto said.

Indonesia's large domestic market and increasing demand from foreign markets would make 2021 a year full of challenges and big hopes, and a year to prove that Indonesia is a big country with potential marine products overflow, he added.

There is now a need for careful preparation in an effort to increase fishery products, such as in the formulation of policies that can accommodate the private sector and favor the people, he remarked.

“It needs real action that moves dynamically in following market trends both domestically and abroad, as well as enhancing good cooperation between the government and the private sector supported by the community,” he said. (INE)

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