TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's fishing industry is expecting to boost its exports to the United States as President Barrack Obama, along with the US Senate, approved tariff reductions on products under the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) on July 29, 2015.

The GSP is a scheme crafted by developed countries offering low or zero tariff on products imported from developing countries.

Saut Hutagalung, the director general for fishery product processing and marketing at the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry, said that the GSP scheme was halted in 2013 as the US Senate rejected the plan. However, GSP was renewed and come into effect starting from July 29, 2015 to December 31, 2017.

"It's a good opportunity for Indonesia's fishery exporters," Saut told Tempo on Thursday, July 30, 2015.

Saut explained that the United States applied zero percent tariff for Indonesia's fishery products, such as frozen crabs, sardines, frog legs, canned fishes, processed lobsters and swimmer crabs.

The United States, Saut added, has been the main export destination for Indonesia's fishery products. Over the last four years, the value of Indonesia's fish exports to the United States has grown by averagely 21.14 percent. Data from the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry showed that the figure reached US$1.07 billion in 2012, increasing to US$1.15 million in the following year. In 2013, the figure climbed to US$1.33 billion and increased to US$1.84 billion last year.

DEVY ERNIS