The prices of fishing nets in Indonesia are the most expensive in Southeast Asia."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The prices of fishing nets used by Indonesian fishermen might be higher as compared to those in other Southeast Asian countries, stated Minister of Marine Affairs and Fishery Susi Pudjiastuti.

"The prices of fishing nets in Indonesia are the most expensive in Southeast Asia," Minister Susi Pudjiastuti stated during a working meeting with the Houses Commission IV here, Monday.

The prices of fishing nets may be four times more expensive than those sold in neighboring Singapore.

The minister explained that nylon, a material used to make fishing nets, is included in the protected textile products category, on which high import duty is imposed.

Minister Pudjiastuti said the government should differentiate between nylon as a material for textile and for fishing nets in order to benefit the local fishermen.

There is only one manufacturer that makes strong fishing nets in Indonesia. The company is located in Cirebon District, West Java Province, the minister remarked.

During the meeting, Pudjiastuti also highlighted the high import duty levied in several countries on tuna and shrimp/prawn products, both of which are major national commodities.

"I consider the two (tuna and shrimp) as products of small and medium enterprises, which involve fishermen whose businesses are still marginal," she affirmed.

Dr. Eni Kamal, a researcher of marine affairs of the Bung Hatta University, in Padang, West Sumatra, stated that Indonesias West Sumatra Province has the best and most expensive species of tuna in the world.

The waters of West Sumatra, especially those of Mentawai, have the best quality tuna as the fish migrate to this region.

Mentawai also has well-preserved mangroves that serve as a food source for the marine species. The fish migrate from the Pacific Ocean to the waters of Mentawai due to the ample food supply.

Therefore, the tuna caught in these waters grow in size and reach weights of more than 40 kilograms.

"A tuna fish, which weighs 150 kilograms and is 1.6 meters long, from West Sumatra may fetch Rp250 million (roughly US$20 thousand) in Japan," Kamal noted.

(Reporting by M.Razi Rahman & Ikhwan Wahyudi/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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