Fish Industry Should Not be Concentrated in Java: Kadin

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) supports the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry`s plan to develop Fish Processing Units (UPIs) outside Java.

The fish processing industry should not be concentrated in only one region.

"Kadin strongly supports this because the eastern region has an abundance of fish raw materials but lacks a developed fish industry," Kadin Deputy Chairman for Eastern Indonesia Andi Rukman Karumpa said in a written statement.

So far, many UPIs are being developed in Java because most of the fishing vessels come from western Indonesia.

Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti wanted the development of fishery processing centers to be shifted outside Java to regions such as Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua.

Andi stated that Minister Susis idea was in line with the maritime development vision of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla (JK).

After all, it would help in developing the economy of the eastern region which has lagged behind so far.

"Moreover, it is feasible from an economic viewpoint because the raw materials also come from the eastern region. The move will make the transportation and logistics cost more viable," Andi explained.

Data with the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry showed that there are 718 UPIs in Indonesia, of which over 60 percent are located in Java.

ANTARA