National FIsh Industry Ready for AEC 2015
27 February 2014 14:40 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries is convinced that the Indonesia's fishery sector can still compete in the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 (AEC 2015). Thailand and Vietnam are considered to be the largest competitors of Indonesia.
"Indonesia still has a chance because fish export trends are increasing in conjunction with the increase of national consumption," said Director General of Processing and Marketing of Fisheries Saut P. Hutagalung yesterday.
Moreover, Thailand is currently experiencing a crisis of manpower in its fishery and ship sector. The wage increase in Thailand has caused production costs to rise as well. In Vietnam, credit issues haunt business owners making it hard for them to receive funding.
Saut said that the production and trade of fish products in Indonesia is still excellent. The quality and export quantity is good as well.
Last year, national fish consumption had reached 35.62 kilograms per person, and this year the target is 38 kilograms. From the consumption volume, it is hoped to reach 9.6 million tons, which is higher than last year's 8.9 million tons.
Nevertheless, there are certain issues that must be resolved if Indonesia really wants to dominate the ASEAN market. The largest issue is mostly related to logistics, particularly high transportation fees and lack of infrastructure.
ANANDA TERESIA