REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM -- The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) plans to develop a fishery center worth arund Rp200-Rp300 billion around Natuna in Riau Islands province, as part of efforts to accelerate maritime growth in the district.
"Natuna will be developed into an integrated fish processing center," Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pujiastuti said here on Saturday.
She added that the establishment of an integrated fishery processing center will enable Natuna to attract domestic and overseas buyers to come to the island to purchase the products.
As foreign fishermen have often been seen engaging in fish poaching in the waters of Natuna, the government wants to transform it into a fishery center.
With the development of a fish processing center in Natuna, the minister stated, foreign vessels will no longer be able to get away with exploiting the fish stock there.
"I do not want to see foreign vessels in Indonesian waters anymore. Their presence there constitutes a moral hazard," Pujiastuti remarked.
At the same occasion, Governor of Riau Islands province Muhammad Sani hailed the KKP's plan to develop Natuna as a fish production center in Indonesia.
"To meet our goals, there must be a fishery production center there," Sani emphasized.
Furthermore, the fishery industry in Natuna will need a special port and cold storage unit to increase the quality of the fish catch in the border areas.
The governor affirmed that the development of the Natuna fish processing center will soon be realized.
In addition, the regional government is ready to support the central government's plan for the sake of improving the prosperity of the people.
Earlier, Head of the Regional Development Planning Board Hardinansah had expressed hope that the government would turn Natuna district, which is located in the waters of the China Sea, into a fish catching center. A fish processing center could be established in Batam or Bintan Island, whose location is more strategic.
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