REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MATARAM - Marine affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutarjo is scheduled to officially open the Auction House of Indonesian Pearls in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province, on Wednesday.
The auction house is located in front of the Lombok international airport, Tanaq Awu, Pujut sub-district, Central Lombok district, Tri Budiprayitno, a spokesman of the West Nusa Tenggara provincial administration, said on Tuesday. This was the only pearl auction house in Indonesia, Saut P Hutagalung, the ministry's fishery product processing and marketing director general, said.
The auction house is expected to attract tourists to visit Lombok and promote world-quality pearls produced in the province internationally. The construction of the two-story auction house cost 5 billion USD. The 1,000-meter building is constructed on one hectare plot of land. It also has a food court offering a variety of Indonesian dishes.
West Nusa Tenggaras pearl cultivation areas cover 19,056 hectares and produce 1.4 tons to 1.8 tons annually. Around 10 to 30 percent of the total production is sent to Surabaya and Jakarta and later exported to various countries by 38 pearl businessmen.
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