Indonesian aquaculture produced 3.90 million tons of fish in the first quarter of 2017 or a 3.11 percent increase from the same period in 2016.
The value of the fish from aquaculture reached Rp 30.90 trillion (US$2.31 billion), or a 37 percent increase from Rp 22.5 trillion.
“The achievement is a result of the budget spending policy, which was ‘money following function’ and ‘money following prioritized programs’,” said the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s aquaculture directorate general, Slamet Soebjakto, as reported by kontan.co on Wednesday.
(Read also: Fishery sector needs to move to aquaculture: Jokowi)
He said the production of decorative fish increased by 7.4 percent from 326.10 million fish to 350.45 million worth Rp 2.48 billion.
In trying to increase the production, the government plans to develop aquaculture in 34 provinces this year, covering 173 regencies and cities, Slamet said, adding that the government would distribute some 100 million young fish to farmers to revitalize 250 units of floating nets to grow fish and distribute insurance premium for 3,300 hectares of fish farms.
In addition to that, the government will also revitalize fishponds in 20 regencies/cities, develop fishponds for catfish in 60 regencies/cities and open offshore aquaculture in Sabang, Aceh; Pangandaran, West Java and Karimunjava, Central Java.
“Aquaculture has a strategic function, economically, socially and geopolitically, particularly because it is has great potential to improve welfares of the people. It is our job to make this business more effective and efficient so that it will greatly affect the national economy soon,” he added. (bbn)
