Hoping for Prosperity in the Fishery Hub

BPMI SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo held a dialogue with fishery entrepreneurs in Maluku during his visit to Yos Sudarso Port, Ambon City, Thursday (25/3/2021).

AMBON, KOMPAS - The development of a national fishery hub in Maluku is expected to serve as an entry point for the improvement of people’s welfare. Small-scale local fishermen should play an important role in the operation of the fishery hub because they have so far acted only as spectators.

The idea of developing Maluku into a national fishery hub was first unveiled by the country’s 6th president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, when he opened the Sail Banda maritime festival in Ambon in 2010. A decade later, the government through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry declared Maluku the national fishery hub. Maluku is the center of new economic growth in eastern Indonesia based on the fisheries business. Fishermen hope the development of the national fishery hub can bring prosperity to them.

Also read: The “Professor” of Fish from Ambon

"So far we have heard that (the government) plans only to build a port in Ambon. We don\'t know what kind of fishermen we will be. We hope there is an empowerment program for the fishermen, ” Syamsul Sia, the head of the association of fishermen in Kawa Village, West Seram Regency, Maluku, said on Thursday (25/3/2021).

Syamsul Sia appreciated President Joko Widodo\'s visit to Ambon on Wednesday. For him, the President’s visit brings hope to small-scale local fishermen who desperately need fishing equipment, fuel, ice, bait, and a place to sell their catch.

We hope there is an empowerment program for the fishermen.

During his visit, the President also witnessed the vaccination of workers engaged in public services at the Yos Sudarso Port. Accompanied by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, and Maluku Governor Murad Ismail, the President also visited the container terminal at the port.

The President then met with small-scale fishermen in Hitulama Village, Central Maluku Regency. The President also had a dialogue with fishery entrepreneurs who have so far forged partnership with the local fishermen.

Also read: Double Plight of Small Fishermen

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

Screenshot of a video of President Joko Widodo having a dialogue with fishermen in Hitulama Village, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku, on Thursday (25/3/2021). This video was published on the youtube account of the Presidential Secretariat.

One of the businessmen, Kuntoro Alfred Kusno, who has been involved the fisheries business since 1993, unveiled the need for the establishment of a quality testing laboratory in Maluku. So far, fish to be exported must be sent to Bali to be tested for levels of heavy metals, histamine, and Covid-19. The quality testing in Bali is quite costly and it also takes a long time.

The logistics costs in Maluku are also expensive. There is not much investment in the fishery sector in the province. Kuntoro cited that in exporting skipjack tuna to Fukuoka, Japan, he had to order a 40-foot container from Surabaya, East Java. It usually took two weeks to get the containers. After that, the containers were taken by a truck to the port. That’s why the logistics costs are high. So, an integrated port is needed in Maluku.

On the other hand, the handling of the required export documents is relatively fast in Maluku. However, the fish delivery cannot be carried directly. From Ambon, the ships usually transit in Surabaya or Jakarta.

Also read: Fishermen Need Alignment

Another problem, in Maluku there are only three fish processing centers, namely in the Banda Sea, Se-Ram, and Arafuru. Therefore, most of the Maluku fishery products are brought to Java. Some are sold in the domestic market, some are exported. However, before arriving in the destination country, the ships usually transit in Singapore or Malaysia, said Daniel Rusli, an executive of PT Samudra Indo Sejahtera.

"If we can export directly from Maluku province, we can reduce logistic costs and the price of the fishermen’s fish will be better," said Daniel.

Responding to this, the President said the government would immediately build a new port in Ambon. The port which will occupy about 700 hectares of areas which will be integrated with a logistics port, fishing port and fisheries industry. "This year the construction will begin and we hope it can be completed in two years. For that, I ask fisheries industry players to register immediately and enter this location so that we have confidence that this can work, "he said.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

The coastal location in Salahutu District, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku, on Friday (5/2/2021), will be used as an integrated area for ports and the fishing industry.

Empowerment of small fishermen

Separately, Ruslan Tawari, a lecturer at the School of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Pattimura University, Ambo , reminded that the President\'s vision in the empowerment of the local fishermen should be well interpreted by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry. "Don\'t let big companies play a bigger place," he said.

The plan to develop Ambon as a fishery hub cannot be separated from the fishery management of the past. According to Kompas\' records, there was a Banda Sea Agreement in 1968 between Indonesia and Japan for the exploitation of tuna in the Banda Sea. An official report from the Japan Fishery Agency for the period 1970-1979 stated that the tuna catch of Japanese fishermen in the Banda Sea reached 40,000 tons of tuna with a value of US$20 million.

Don\'t let big companies play a bigger place.

However, the project has not significantly changed the lives of local fishermen, who are generally still poor until now. In Maluku there are about 115,000 households involved in fishing activities. Most of them live below the poverty line.

Professor of marine and fisheries at Pattimura University, Alex Retraubun , hoped that the President\'s visit would benefit Maluku, especially in the fisheries sector. He urged the determination of Maluku as the national fishery hub not only politically, but also legally.

"There needs to be a legal umbrella as a basis because political statements can still change," he said.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.