Imports Increase Despite Rise In Domestic Production

Jakarta, Jan 8 (Antara) - The People`s Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) has questioned the increase in fisheries product imports despite the fact that production at home has been on the rise. "The increase in fisheries production at home seems to be followed by a rise in imports of various kinds of fisheries products. Actually, the increase in the domestic production itself is not any achievement," Kiara Secretary General Abdul Halim stated here on Wednesday. Halim explained that it was wrong for the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to claim that the increase in the fisheries production is an achievement because Indonesia basically has a vast sea water area covering 70 percent. Thus, the rise in the marine and fisheries production in Indonesia is normal. Moreover, the budgetary support for the ministry of marine affairs and fisheries, particularly for the directorate general of cultured fish, continues to increase. He pointed out that in the last several years the increase in the domestic fish production turned out to be coupled with the rise of various types of fisheries product imports. "The Central Data and Information Center of Kiara recorded that the volume of fish imports in the last 9 years has drastically risen," Halim claimed. He pointed out that the volume of imports in 2009 was only 157 thousand tons but it rose to more than 440 thousand tons in 2012. The value of fisheries imports in 2009 accounted for US$165 million but it drastically increased to more than US$1 billion in 2012. He noted that, as it was reported, Indonesia now needs a leader, who will be elected in 2014, with the guts to stop food imports. Secretary General of the National Democratic (NasDem) Party Rio Patrice de Capella stated here on Tuesday that Indonesia has not yet had a leader who was able to put an end to food imports. Therefore, Halim expected that the leader who will be elected in the 2014 presidential elections, will be the one who is strong enough to side with people`s interests, one of which is the imports problem.