Bali`s ornamental fish exports up 9.9 pct

Antara News, Sunday, January 16, 2011

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali province`s ornamental fish exports in the January-November 2010 period rose 9.99 percent to US$1.02 million from the same period the year before.

"The ornamental fish exports fell 0.22 percent by volume compared to the same period in the previous year when 785,202 heads of ornamental fish were shipped," Head of the Bali Provincial Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office Gusti Putu Nuriatha said here on Sunday.

The drop in the volume of ornamental fish exports was among others the result of unfavorable climate that caused difficulties to fishermen to catch ornamental fish, he said.

After all, the province still had a chance to increase ornamental fish exports in 2011 and the upcoming years, he said.

The ornamental fish was exported to Japan, the United States, Australia and Europe.

Ornamental fish is one of Bali`s 11 aquatic products which have so far penetrated the international market. The province earned US$107.15 million from aquatic product exports in the January-November 2010 period, a 13.28 percent increase compared to the same period the year before when the figure was US$94.59 million.

Gusti Nuriatha said the Bali waters was rich in a wide variety of ornamental fish. Fishermen catch the fish of high economic value near the province`s beaches using very simple instrument.

Indonesia has potential as biggest fish exporter

Antara News, Wednesday, June 23, 2010 02:09 WIB

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA News) - Consultant of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Erik Hempel said Indonesia may be the world`s biggest fish exporting country.

"We know that Indonesia has big fish resources and therefore may have the potential to become the most fish exporter," Erik Hempel told a national workshop in Banda Aceh Tuesday.

Erik Hembel said the impost important key to become an exporter is the need to develop information and international trade regulations.

The per capita fish consumption in the world had been increasing and predicted that in 2010 the world fish production will reach 150 tons, so that the chance to become the biggest fish exporting country may be realized.

But several considerations need to be noted namely that fish need always to be fresh.

The fish imports and exports of the developing and developed countries are in a good balance.

It has been estimated that the biggest fish exporting country in 2007 is China with 11 percent, followed by Norway seven percent, and Thailand six percent, while Indonesia with only two percent in 2007, ranking only the 12th in the world`s fish exports.

In the meantime, the biggest fish importing country in the same year are the developed countries with 79 percent, the European Union with 43 percent, and the developing countries only 21 percent.

Bali to produce 110,000 tons of fish

Antara News, Friday, June 18, 2010 17:09 WIB

(ANTARA/GreenLee WM)Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali has a production target of 110,000 tonnes of fish in 2010, which increased from the previous year which was only 106 000 tons, a regional fishery official said.

This target is expected to be achieved, given the fishermen and freshwater fish farming had made maximum efforts to increase production, said Head of Fisheries and Maritime office of the Province of Bali, Gusti Putu Ir Nuriartha said here Friday.

He said the increased production of the fisheries sector will have positive impact on efforts to overcome poverty for fish farmers and fishermen who live on the coast.

RI ranked 11th as world fishery exporter

Antara News, Thursday, May 6, 2010 16:18 WIB

Manado, N Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is ranked 11th on the list of the world`s fishery exporter countries with exports worth US$1.79 billion, a trade official said.

"Indonesia`s market share in the world`s fishery exports accounts for 1.74 percent of the world`s total fishery exports," Djoko Purnomo, head of the fishery export affairs of the Directorate General of External Trade, said here on Thursday.

He said that the world`s fishery exports in 2008 were recorded at US$72.67 billion, or an increase of 7.94 percent if compared with that in 2005 which stood at US$57.66 billion.

Indonesia`s fishery product export destinations included the United States (29.04 percent), Japan (16.90 percent), China (3.66 percent), Hong Kong (3.14 percent), Singapore (3.05 percent), Thailand 2(.34 percent), Malaysia (2.23 percent) and South Korea (2.18 percent).

The country`s fishery exports were dominated by shrimps worth US$845 million (47 percent) followed by frozen fish valued at 228 million dollars, or 12 percent, fresh fish worth 225 million dollars (12 percent), fillet, fish meat and seaweeds.

According to Purnomo, Indonesia`s major exporter provinces in Indonesia`s western region included East Java, Jakarta, North Sumatra, Lampung and Central Java.

In the eastern region, major exporter provinces are South Sulawesi, Bali, Maluku, North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi, he said.

EU to lift mercury testing on RI edible fish products

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 04/23/2010 10:51 AM

Indonesian edible fish products destined for European markets will no longer be subject to rigorous mercury detection inspections, an association says.

“Indonesia has managed to relax a European Union (EU) regulation — starting April 16. (Indonesia’s)

sea catches will no longer be subject to mercury inspections,” Indonesian Fisheries Processing

and Marketing Entrepreneurs Association chairman Thomas Darmawan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The heavy metal detection requirement has been in place since 2006. The regulation was passed in 2006 after an EU commission team found that fisheries products imported from Indonesia and intended for human consumption spoiled quickly and contained high levels of histamine.

The inspections also revealed that Indonesian authorities did not carry out reliable inspections of fish, in particular to detect histamine and heavy metals, the 2006 Commission Decision said.

A letter sent last month by the Food Standards Agency, an independent government department with headquarters in the United Kingdom, said the European Commission proposed to revoke the 2006 Commission

Decision, which requires heavy metal testing on all imports of non-aquaculture fishery products from Indonesia.

“The Commission has now received appropriate guarantees from the Indonesian authorities that controls are in place to ensure products meet EU requirements as regards to heavy metals,” the letter said.

“Also, the results of import controls at EU Border Inspection Posts indicate that imports are satisfactory.”

Although it lifts a mercury testing requirement, the EU has increased the strictness of antibiotics testing on farmed fishery products from Indonesia.

It now stipulates that a minimum 20 percent of consignments be tested, up from 10 percent, according

to Thomas.

“The issue of antibiotics is actually an old problem,” he said.

“We actually have improved now. But maybe an [EU] inspection team found unsatisfactory results during their visit here last November.”

The FSA in its letter said that at least 20 percent of consignments of farmed fisheries products from Indonesia intended for human consumption would be subjected at Border Inspection Posts to sampling for testing for pharmacologically active substances, in particular chloramphenicol, metabolites of nitrofurans and tetracyclines (including tetracycline, oxytetracycline and chlortecycline).

According to Thomas, Indonesia exported US$146.6 million worth of shrimp, $34.29 million of tuna, $21.24 million of seaweed and $100.54 million of processed fish (excluding tuna and shrimp), to Europe in 2009.

Central Statistics Agency data showed that non-oil and gas exports to the EU stood at $2.59 billion in the first two months of this year, up by 37.8 percent from the $1.88 billion booked in that period last year.

Indonesia’s Seaweed Export Value to China up by 400 Percent

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 22 April, 2010 | 16:05 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Makassar: China has become South Sulawesi’s biggest seaweed market. This can be seen from the export value that skyrocketed from US$ 2,574 million in 2008 to US$ 10,603 million 2009, a 400 percent increase.

“The reason is simple; China has just imported seaweed directly from us,” said Arman Arfah, chairman of South Sulawesi Farmer and Seaweed Processor Association, yesterday.

Earlier, Indonesia’s main destination for seaweed exports was the Philippines. Then, China imported the commodity from the Philippines. However, since the Indonesian Seaweed Forum was held in Makassar in 2008, Indonesia began exporting directly to China.

The international forum is held every three years. The next assembly will take place in 2011.

In general, the export value of Indonesia’s seaweed from 2008 to 2009 increased by five percent. The total export value in 2009 amounted to US$ 17,619 million.

Indonesia is ranked fourth in the world’s seaweed exporter list. Indonesia’s major seaweed market is China, the Philippines, South Korea, Chile, and Vietnam.

The government continues to intensify programs improving seaweed production. At present, the country produces two million tons of wet seaweed per year. Meanwhile the Maritime and Fishery Ministry’s target for 2014 is 10 million tons per year.

The government is also making efforts to improve and set a standard quality. The world’s demand in wet seaweed is six million tons per year.

To avoid excessive production if the government’s target is achieved, the South Sulawesi Farmer and Seaweed Processor Association is implementing a program promoting the consumption of seaweed and healthy fibrous foods.

“Seaweed is healthy, so we should not export all of it,” Arman said.

FADHILAH NAZIF

Bantaeng Exports Sea Cucumber to Hong Kong

Tempo Interactive, Monday, 29 March, 2010 | 14:05 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Bantaeng: Bantaeng regency in South Sulawesi is preparing its first sea cucumber export to Hong-Kong. This follows the the regency’s succeess in exporting fish in the form of frozen surimi to Japan and kapok seeds to Korea.

The export of 4.2 tons of sea cucumber with a value of more than Rp 3 billion will be carried out by UD Mamampang Jaya, a local company in partnership with companies from the Philippines and Malaysia. Saing, the head of the company, confirmed the export to Bantaeng Regent, H M. Nurdin Abdullah, last week.

According to Saing, who came with his partners from Malaysia and Philippines, the sea cucumbers are obtained from areas around Bantaeng Regency, like Selayar, as well as several other provinces in Indonesia, including Papua.

“We collect the sea cucumber from various regions and provinces,” said Saing. He added that the export is waiting for the administration process to be completed this week.

Regent Nurdin plans to launch the Hong-Kong export in a special event. He welcomes Mamampang Jaya’s readiness. Even though the sea cucumber does not come from Bantaeng area, this shows that a local company is capable of exports.

“We will keep on encouraging various industries so that region can advance,” said Nurdin. According to Nurdin, besides sea cucumbers, in April taro will also be exported to Japan.

Sea cucumber is known as a marine export commodity which is being developed in a big scale, given its high economic value in markets overseas. Sea cucumber is exported in the dry form. Besides Hong Kong, sea cucumber export destinations are Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.

ELIK | ANT