Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister, Sharif C. Sutardjo, has announced that the government is looking to aquaculture to help boost the country's fish exports.
At present, commericial fishing quotas are high in regards to the size of fish stocks. With stocks decreasing and the current aquaculture industry doing well, the government is planning to further expand the sectors, reports JakartaGlobe.
“Aquaculture will spearhead the ministry [programme] in the future. There are plenty of available lands and shallow water that can be utilised for aquaculture,” Mr Sutardjo told the newspaper.
So far, the government has set up pilot projects which are applying new technology to further improve the production of prawns.
The aim is to establish at least 135,000 hectares of fish farms within four years.
Rokhmin Dahuri, president of Indonesian Aquaculture Society, said that the government must also look into the finances of aquaculture development.
“There are too few fish farmers that are committed to aquaculture development, despite the country’s huge potential. The government needs to provide a guarantee to the banking sector, while on the other hand, the farmers need to show that this business is sustainable," he said.
