REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) is strengthening fish meal producer networks in an effort to build coordination between large- and small-scale producers, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises (UKM).

"We hope it will build communication that could motivate self-reliant producers and reinforce their networks to achieve self-reliance in fish meal production," Director General for Cultured Fish of the KKP Slamet Soebjakto stated during the National Reliant Fish Meal Week at the KKP office here on Tuesday.

He said that the self-reliant fish meal production movement is aimed to develop the UKM in the fish meal business and is not intended to pose as a competition to their large-scale counterparts.

The movement has been launched in an effort to build cooperation between the UKM and associations of fish meal producers, which will be useful for the development of the domestic fish meal industry.

According to Slamet, Bank BRI and Indramayu's fish breeders also signed a credit extension agreement during the event.

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With the signing of the agreement, the number of fish breeders using certificates to develop their business is expected to increase, the director general pointed out.

In the meantime, the Financial Service Authority (OJK) stated that banks have changed their outlook and are now harboring a positive perception of the marine and fishery sector compared to the past.

"The marine and fishery sector has been very attractive to banks," Bank Supervision Affairs Director of the OJK Slamet Edi Purnomo noted at a press conference on Nov. 18.

This is apparent from the level of non-performing loans (NPL) of the marine and fishery sector recorded at 2.1 percent, which is lower than the NPL of the industrial sector that reached 2.7 percent.

Moreover, the growth rate of the marine and fishery sector was also recorded at 12.5 percent annually, or over the annual industrial growth at 10 percent.

"We hope this will make all financial service industries aware of the positive trend in the marine and fishery sector, so that they will all support us. We have to be optimistic regarding the developments in the marine and fishery sector ahead," the director general affirmed.

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