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Come Fish With Us, Indonesian Govt Tells Investors
Jakarta Globe | January 17, 2012

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The government is allocating Rp 173 trillion ($19 billion) to fund development of infrastructure for fishing in eastern Indonesia in an attempt to boost the industry.

The islands of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, among others, have waters that are teeming with fish, and “so they need some infrastructure,” said the minister of maritime affairs and fisheries, Sharif Cicip Sutardjo.

The projects would include roads and other distribution networks, he said.

The eastern part of Indonesia is less developed than western islands that are home to many fish-processing plants.

But there are some fish processing plants in Bitung, in North Sulawesi, Sharif said.

He said investors were invited to build fish-processing plants in areas including Ambon in Maluku province. Sharif said fish catches were growing in Ambon but there were no cold storage facilities to keep the fish from spoiling.

Former Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said last year that private investors from Taiwan had agreed to invest $2 billion in eastern Indonesia to help the country boost production of fish, shrimp, seaweed and other marine life.

Investment would be made in Morotai, a 1,800-square-meter island that sits in Maluku, amid the Sulawesi and Papua corridors.

The waters surrounding Morotai have the potential to produce two million tons of fish each year, compared to the Sulawesi and Papua corridors, which carry about four billion to five billion tons annually, Fadel said.

To optimize production of fish and other marine life, the government plans to establish centers of fishing and cultivation. This year, there are nine capture fishery centers and 24 aquaculture centers.

Additional reporting from Antara