VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A fish auction in progress at the Kutaraja fish port in Banda Aceh. The government has set up five logistics corridors to strengthen connectivity between fish collection and distribution centers to increase food resilience, boost people's welfare, and create jobs. (ANTARA PHOTO/Ampelsa/foc) - 

The Marine and Fisheries Affairs Ministry (KKP) has set up five logistics corridors to strengthen connectivity between fish collection and distribution centers, as part of efforts to expand access to fisheries in eastern Indonesia.

The five corridors are Kendari-Surabaya/Jakarta, Makassar–Surabaya/Jakarta, Bitung–Surabaya/Jakarta, Ambon–Surabaya/Jakarta, and Mimika–Surabaya/Jakarta, the ministry's director general of marine and fisheries competitiveness, Artati Widiarti, informed in a statement issued here on Friday.

Connecting upstream and downstream fisheries will increase food resilience, boost people's welfare, and create jobs, while encouraging the growth of the fisheries sector in eastern Indonesia, she added.

"These corridors are expected to boost efficiency in logistics channels and expand market access to reach consumption and industrial areas, for even distribution of fish consumption and people's welfare," Widiarti elaborated.

The corridors would be opened gradually in accordance with regional and business readiness, she added.

"We will revive the fisheries sector that has been impacted by the pandemic through stock management and distribution mechanism, provision of logistics facilities, warehouse receipt systems, and access to distribution and funding," she said.

Widiarti expressed the hope that local administrations would support the operation of the logistics corridors by raising awareness about them among business operators, and mapping and monitoring the logistics processes — from production to collection centers — in their respective regions.

The ministry has also said it will speed up the evaluation of the non-tax state revenue (PNBP) imposition under the post-production scheme, which would take into account the social and economic conditions around fish ports in some regions.

An advisor to the KKP minister, Darmadi Aris Wibowo, said the directorate general of capture fisheries has identified three locations which will serve as models for the implementation of post-production PNBP imposition — the Karangantu fish port (PPS) in Serang, Banten, Nizam Zachman PPS in Jakarta, and Cilacap PPS in Central Java//ANT