Minister Susi: Indonesia Has Disadvantages in Marine Sector
24 November 2014 16:04 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Marine and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti revealed on her Facebook page that Indonesia has been disadvantaged by foreign countries in managing its marine resources. According to Susi, one of the disadvantages is when the United States issued a policy on a tariff barrier against five countries, including China, Thailand and Vietnam. Susi added that the Indonesian government should have used it as a momentum to take over foreign market.
However, China had been using Indonesia as a transshipment country for China’s marine products to avoid the U.S. tariff barrier.
“My expectation at that time [2004] was that the Marine and Fisheries Ministry would revitalize our aquaculture. The prices should have been double. But we were just their transshipment. Chinese products entered the United States as Indonesian products,” Susi said on Saturday, November 21, 2014.
Susi said Indonesia business owners and government was persuaded when China promised profits as a transshipment country. According to Susi, the government should have been able to force China investing its money in Indonesia if it wanted to export their products without being imposed with tariff.
TRI SUSANTO SETIAWAN