VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian fisherman in Arumbae, Ambon, Maluku. (ANTARA FOTO/Izaac Mulyawan)

Indonesia has yet to rank top on the list of the world's countries exporting fishery products despite its huge maritime economic potential, according to a top Indonesian scientist.

"China still ranks as the top exporter, while Indonesia remains at 15th position," Bogor Agricultural University's (IPB's) Professor of Coastal and Ocean Management, Rokhmin Dahuri, stated here, Saturday.

Addressing a webinar organized for the grand launch ceremony of the "Serambi Nusantara" news portal at Al Fatah Islamic boarding school in Bogor District, West Java, Dahuri pointed out that this reality was, in fact, a paradox of kinds.

Indonesia's total economic potential of the maritime sector was estimated to reach US$1.348 trillion, but it has, so far, only been able to garner less than 11 percent benefits from the sector, he pointed out. The potential of the archipelago's maritime sector is five times larger than the total value of its 2019 state budget that was merely recorded at Rp2,400 trillion, Dahuri stated.

The total economic potential of Indonesia's maritime sector that can be explored and developed into various fields is also projected to absorb at least 45 million workers, he remarked.

On account of the high value of this sector, Dahuri reiterated his call for the country's related stakeholders to become more serious in exploring and developing the country's maritime economy.

Indonesia must be able to take up China's position as the world's top exporter of fishery products, according to Dahuri, also well-known as the former maritime affairs and fisheries minister.The webinar also presented a Muslim scholar from the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University, who shed light on Indonesia's renowned ulema from Bogor, Syaikh Mukhtar Al-Bogori.

The grand launch ceremony of the "Serambi Nusantara" news portal was held at the Al Fatah Islamic boarding school in Kreteg neighborhood of Ciomas Sub-district, Bogor District, West Java Province.

The news portal, founded by Ahmad Fahir along with several other dedicated journalists and those from the Al Fatah Islamic Boarding School, disseminates news and feature reporting on a plethora of issues, including culture, tourism, and environment that enlighten and edify the public.

Attendees at the event comprised Ciomas Sub-district Head Chairuka Judianto, the Al Fatah Islamic Boarding School master, as well as several local journalists and students//ANT