VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Maritime and Fishery Ministry has encouraged fishery export increase to the Middle East since it is a market opportunity that needs to be optimized. That was stated by  Head of National Fish Quarantine, Quality Control, and Fishery Products Safety (BKIPM), Rina in a press release on Saturday (31/7).

Rina also stated that Indonesia needs to recognize the regulations on fish health guarantee systems and special export regulations in the Middle East. This international-standard fish health guarantee system refers to the World Organization for Animal Health (OiE), FAO (Codex), and special regulations of the trade partner countries, including the Middle East. She further remarked that referring to the International Trade Center (2020), in 2017 until 2019, the average fishery product demand from Middle Eastern countries grew by 4.3 percent year on year. The Middle Eastern fishery commodity import value in the same period was averagely 2.64 percent from the total world's fishery commodity import value.

Rina said that Indonesia has been importing canned tuna into some Middle Eastern countries. However, the export value is still far behind Thailand that controls 71 percent of the Middle Eastern import market for tuna, mackerel-tuna, and skipjack. Meanwhile, the potential markets for Indonesian business people can include shark catfish and other freshwater fishes. Currently, the top shark catfish exporter to the Middle East is Vietnam.

Besides commodities for consumption, Rina ensured that there is still an export opportunity for ornamental fish, which is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Indonesia has the production and highest diversity of ornamental fish in the world.

Previously, Director General of Maritime and Fishery Product Competitiveness Value Strengthening, Artati Widiarti said that the maritime and fishery sector made a positive performance in the first five months of 2021. The trade value surplus of this sector was US$1.9 billion. It increased by 3.72 percent compared to the same period last year. Cumulatively, the fishery product export value in January until May was US$2.1 billion or increasing by 4.94 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

These export values came from the main commodities, including shrimp, tuna, skipjack, mackerel-tuna, squid, cuttlefish, and octopus. The main export destination is the U.S, followed by China and ASEAN countries.