Fish Consumption Rises by 60% during Ramadan
2 August 2014 12:14 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As fish is one of the staple food items, the demand for processed fish in the country has increased drastically to about 60 percent during the fasting month, as reported by Antara News.
"During the fasting month and in the face of the Lebaran festivities this year, the demand for processed fish products rose by about 50 to 60 percent," Director General for Processing and Marketing of Fishery Products of the Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Ministry (KKP) Saut Hutagalung remarked on Tuesday.
However, despite the increase in the demand for processed fishery products, there was no undue escalation in prices as they were under control and the increase only ranged between 20 and 30 percent.
Indonesia, which had a per capita fish consumption of 30.4 kilograms per annum in 2010 and has begun viewing its maritime sector as a key source of economic gain, has set a fish production target of about 21 million tons this year.
KKP spokesman Yulistyo Mudho noted that the countrys per capita fish consumption in 2010 was recorded at 30.47 kilograms per annum, an increase from 29.08 kilograms noted in 2009.
"The increase in fish consumption helped to improve the peoples intelligence levels and utilize the national fish production, which is set to reach 22.39 million tons in 2014," Mudho stated several years ago.
Even though the per capita fish consumption of its people is still relatively low, yet during the recently concluded fasting month, Indonesia saw increasing demand for processed fish.
According to the director general, processed fishery products that were increasingly in demand by consumers were otak-otak or fish paste, smoked and deboned bandeng (milk fish), and fish meat balls.
The director general stated that on the basis of observation across modern retail markets, processed fish products became a prima donna commodity purchased by consumers in the face of the Lebaran holidays.
"Basically, it is the same as two to three years ago, when milk fish was part of the menu served in family kitchens," he added.
Fortunately, there was no price turmoil during the fasting month and in the run up to the Eid al-Fitr day.
"During the fasting month and in the lead-up to the Eid holidays, fish stocks remained adequate with prices relatively under control," asserted Hutagalung on Tuesday.
The fish stocks remained adequate in several big cities such as the capital city of Jakarta, South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar, East Java provincial capital of Surabaya, Medan of North Sumatra, Bandung of West Java, Semarang of Central Java, Yogyakarta, and Padang of West Sumatra.
ANTARA