JAKARTA: The Indonesian government will ship more fish overseas to rise price at domestic market as output increases significantly due to decline of illegal fishing.
Indonesian Coordinator Minister for Maritime Rizal Ramli said on Tuesday evening that the government plans to add the number of sea port facilitating fish export across the country, which is expected to make the export become more effective and efficient.
“We decided to open new sea ports (for fish export) so that fish export will rise,” Ramli said.
Indonesia has a large territory, but only three sea ports facilitating fish exports so that the cost of transport to the export gates is high and the period of shipment is also long, according to him.
The three sea ports are located in Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta, East Java provincial capital of Surabaya and Bali Island, he said
Indonesia is an archipelago country and home to over 17,500 islands.
Ramli said that a meeting will be held to determine which other sea ports will facilitate the fish export. Ramli disclosed that production in some areas has doubled after the decrease of foreign vessel stealing fish in Indonesia’s waters.
“The impact of it is that the prices decrease, it is unfavorable for the sailors if the situation is like this,” he said.
Indonesia’s fish export reaches at 4 billion U.S. dollars last year and is expected to rise to 6.8 billion dollars this year, according to data from the fishery ministry.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has taken stern actions against foreign vessels which intrude the country’s waters and conduct illegal fishing.
Dozens of foreign ships have been sunk by Indonesian fishery ministry for such violation.
