CENTRAL SULAWESI STRIVING TO BECOME MAJOR VANNAMEI SHRIMP PRODUCER

     Jakarta, Sept 9, 2015 (Antara) -  As around 70 percent of Indonesia`s territory consists of water, it is but logical if the government has the ambition of making Indonesia one of the world`s biggest shrimp and fish producers.

       Indonesia, as one of the world`s largest maritime countries, has about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory and 92,000 kilometers of beach and coastal strips, second only after Canada.

       Online media quoted estimates from Aquaculture Asia Pacific that suggest Indonesia became the second-largest shrimp producer in the world in 2014.

        Its vannamei shrimp production was up 31 percent or  504,000 metric tons, according to statistics cited by Shrimp News International, making it second only to China, which produced 955,000t in 2014, according to information on www.undercurrentnews.com.

       To boost Vannamei shrimp farming production, Central Sulawesi province has introduced a new, environmentally-friendly technique called Supra Intensive Indonesia (SII).

       President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is slated to inaugurate a harvesting event of vannamei shrimps produced with the help of supra-intensive technology aquaculture on the sidelines of the Sail Tomini and Festival Boalemo 2015 peak ceremony.

       The ceremony will be held in the Parigi Moutong District, Central Sulawesi on September 19.

       President Jokowi will be accompanied by First Lady Iriana, some ministers and foreign ambassadors, and is expected to harvest shrimps in a local farmer's pond.

         Central Sulawesi has become a strong producer of vannamei shrimp thanks to its vast aquaculture area and the invention of Indonesian supra-intensive technology, which has been recognized as the most productive shrimp cultivation technology in the world.

        According to data from the Central Sulawesi Maritime Affairs and Fishery office, the province has a potential shrimp farming area covering 42,000 hectares, including 2,000 hectares suitable for supra-intensive aquaculture. 
    The shrimp production of Central Sulawesi reached around 8,000 tons in 2014, which is very small compared to the national shrimp production of some 550,000 tons.

         The province, however, is projected to be one of the major vannamei shrimp producers in Indonesia in the near future following the application of the supra-intensive technology since 2013.

         The supra-intensive technology could boost production to up 153 tons per hectare, according to head of the Central Sulawesi Maritime Affairs and Fishery office, DR Eng Hasanuddin Atjo, MP.

         If the province is able to develop one thousand hectares of shrimp ponds using the technology, it will be able to produce 300,000 tons of shrimp annually, or more than half of the national shrimp production, Atjo, the inventor of the supra-intensive technology, said.

        It means that the province with its population of 2.6 million, will be able to contribute half of the national foreign exchange earnings from vannamei shrimp exports, which are currently pegged at US$4.7 billion.

        The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has designated Central Sulawesi as the gateway for vannamei shrimp exports in the eastern Indonesian region during the Mid-Term Development Planning (RPJM) 2025.    
   Therefore, Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola has been intensifying the shrimp aquaculture businesses by using the supra-intensive technology, involving local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and with the support of the central government and the parliament.

         Thanks to the new technology, high shrimp production will be maintained because the technology has been able to curb the impact of climate change and extreme weather, such as the El Nino-induced drought. 
    However, the local administration is still helping develop traditional vannamei shrimp farming because not every farmer can afford the technology, which demands considerable big investment.

         The Deputy Governor of Central Sulawesi, Soedarto has encouraged the development of a number of vannamei shrimp pond models using the supra-intensive technology in several villages, including in Kampal, Parigi Moutong District, where President Joko Widodo will join the shrimp harvest.

         Besides shrimp aquaculture, Central Sulawesi is also developing the potential of Tomini Bay in the fields of tourism, fishery and mining.

          The bay spread over a six million hectare area, is the most attractive underwater tourist object in the Togean Islands National Park, Tojo Una District, which is known to foreign tourists.

         The waters are also a major producer of fish, particularly tuna fish, and seaweed, which is exported every year. Besides, the bay has pelagic fish which is caught for local markets.

         Governor Longki Djanggola plans to develop more supporting facilities and infrastructure, as well as telecommunication accessibility.

         The planned infrastructure will include new fishery seaports, ferry piers, a new airport in Tojo Unauna and a special economic zone in Palu, which is being developed as a processing industrial centre to create added value.

    (f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 09-09-2015 17:42:3