"Germany is one of the main destinations of Indonesias fishery exports. Our fishery exports to Germany till 2015 are expected to increase by 1-2 percent or worth US$2.91 - US$2.94 billion," Director General for National Export Development, Nus Nuzulia Ishak, said in a press release.
The Trade Ministry hosted the visits of German fisheries importers who toured a number of Indonesian fishery companies in Jakarta, Makassar (South Sulawesi), Bitung (North Sulawesi) and Surabya (East Java).
One of the German companies is Rud. Kanzow, which is the biggest importer of fishery products. This company is only prepared to cooperate with Indonesian firms which are able to maintain supplies and quality of their products.
"They take the opportunity to use the Ministry of Trade facility to come directly to Indonesia and to explore the production process at Indonesian companies," the director general said.
The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMFA), will continue to increase exports of fish products and boost commercial fishing in an effort to expand the fishery industries at home.
Earlier this year, MMFA Secretary General Sjarief Widjaja had said that his ministry has this year set a production target of 20.95 million tons of fish, with an expected export of US$5.65 billion.
"The production target consists of 6.08 million tons of catch fish and 13.97 million tons of cultured fish," Widjaja had said in a written statement.
To develop the fishery industry, the MMFA initially based its efforts on economic, ecological and technological approaches, the secretary general stated. Yet now it has included social approaches to assist in reaching its production target.
To meet its goals, the MMFA had set a number of priorities in its fishery production programs that it needs to carry out in 2014.
It is seeking fish consumption at 38 kg per capita per year, a fishery gross domestic production (GDP) increase by 7.25 percent and an export target of US$5.65 billion, he said.
(A014/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
(KR-BSR/B003)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
