By: Gani Permata *
The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) continues to try to boost the increase in Indonesia’s fishery product exports. During the four years of Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla’s reign, the trade balance of fishery products continued to increase. Even now Indonesia is a leader in the fisheries trade sector in Southeast Asia, after being in the last place.
In March 2018, the balance of trade in Indonesia’s fishery commodities earned USD 349.4 thousand. While Thailand is in position 2 with a value of USD 129.5 thousand. While Vietnam is in third position with a value of USD 22.5.
“In the four years of President Jokowi’s leadership, and with concern for our oceans. “The most recent fishery balance in Southeast Asia is now number one in Southeast Asia,” said Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti at the 2018 Our Ocean Conference press conference.
On another occasion, namely the Media Forum Merdeka Barat (FMB) Discussion 9 Issue 4 of the Year of Work of the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla Government, Minister Susi said the increase in the fisheries trade balance was triggered by continued increase in exports during the same period. In the first semester of 2015, fisheries exports were recorded at USD 2 billion, while for the first semester of 2018 there were USD 2.27 billion. When compared with the same period in 2017, the fishery product trade balance surplus for the first half of this year grew by 13.88 percent.
The growth in export value is in line with the increase in the volume of fishery product exports. In general, fishery product exports from January to October 2018 are as much as 915 thousand tons, up 6.22 percent compared to the same period in 2017, which amounted to 862 thousand tons. The main commodities exported include seaweed 175 thousand tons with a value of USD 241 million, shrimp 165 thousand tons with a value of USD 1.46 billion, octopus 118 thousand tons with a value of USD 429 million, tuna 95 thousand tons with value USD 498 million, cakalang-tongkol 42 thousand tons with a value of USD 498 million tons, and crabs as much as 23 thousand tons with a value of USD 80 million.
While Indonesia’s main export destination for fishery products, namely the United States (US), China, Japan, ASEAN, and the European Union. Indonesia is even the second largest supplier of shrimp to the United States after India. Many neighboring countries currently import fish from Indonesia. Such as fish imports to Thailand from Sulawesi which rose to 100 percent.
Indonesian fisheries exports are considered to be in a very good position. With the trade war between the US and China, Indonesia’s fisheries productivity and exports to the US must be increased, because China’s market share in the country is declining. The trend of fishery products in the second half of 2018 is also predicted to increase. In accordance with the predictions of October which has entered the rainy season and the harvest cycle which usually falls at the end of the year.
Minister Susi stated that the positive achievements of Indonesia’s fishery product exports as a result of a number of government policies. With the eradication of Illegal Unreported Unregulated Fishing and sinking of foreign vessels, now only national ships, national entrepreneurs, and national capital are permitted to fish in Indonesia. In accordance with President Jokowi’s commitment to building national maritime affairs, making capture fisheries become very sovereign.
Increasing awareness of fish consumption by the community also contributes to the increasing number of fisheries exports in Indonesia. So that the government is confident that it can achieve the fisheries product export target of USD 9.5 billion by 2019.
- The author is an Univ student. Persada Indonesia
