Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government will issue a decree on pearl culture to optimize trade, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Fadel Muhammad said here on Wednesday.

"In the near future a ministerial decree on pearl culture and trade will be issued," he said at the opening of an Indonesia Pearl Festival at Grand Indonesia.

He said the decree would among other things regulate the standards of pearls that were brought into or taken out of the country.

He said a lot of pearls had been taken out of Indonesia easily in plastic bags by tourists due to the absence of regulations.

"People have easily taken pearls abroad without having been registered first causing their price to fluctuate and bad," he said.

Other problems relating to pearl culture meanwhile are among others theft during harvest seasons that have caused a loss to farmers and arrivals of low quality or fake pearls from China, he saisd.

With regard to security Fadel said he would coordinate with the navy and marine police to get a standard of security needed in pearl culture.

The minister hoped with the issuance of the regulation on pearl culture pearl trade would be more orderly and progressive.

He did not tell the date when the regulation would be issued.

The Indonesia Pearl Festival which is the biggest pearl exhibition in Indonesia was attended by around 55 participants, according to the director general of marketing and management of fishery products, Victor Nikijuluw.

He said the aim of the exhibition was among others to promoting Indonesia`s south sea pearls (SSP) in domestic and international markets and disseminate information on products and strengthen SSP marketing network.

He said the exhibition was held with regard to the fact that Indonesia is the world`s biggest SSP producer contributing 53 percent to the world`s needs.

"SSP is Indonesia`s prime commodity that has high economic value and good market prospect," he said.
(T.M040/H-YH/HAJM/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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