Central Sulawesi building seafood industrial center and fish port

Palu, C. Sulawesi,  (Antaranews Sulteng) - The Marine and Fisheries Service (DKP) of Central Sulawesi is building a fish port in the district of Banggai Laut, to be expanded later to become seafood industrial area adopting the National Fish Logistics System in the following several years.

Head of the DKP Hasanuddin Atjosaid on Thursday construction of the fish port already in process since last year with land clearing and construction of port office and the house of the harbor master.

The development of the fish port will be carried out by phases depending on the availability budget , but detailed engineering designs is already wrapped up, Hasanuddin said.

"We will start by building a seafood industrial center to be implemented with the concept of National Fish Logistic System. The land has been prepared by the district administration," he said after visiting the district of Banggai Laut and Banggai Kepulauan.

He said the Marine and Fisheries Ministry has built a fish freezing plant (ABF-air blast freezer) and a cold storage with a capacity of 50 tons two years earlier and in 2017, the capacity was expanded to 100 tons.

Unfortunately, the location has no fish landing terminal that fishermen have to unload their fish on the sandy beach which is not easy especially when the waves are high, he said.

Meanwhile, head of the deep sea fishing department of the provincial DKP Johanis Riga said that in 2018, his office received a budget of Rp4 billion from the Marine and Fisheries Ministry to be used to prepare land and build the port office building and house of the harbormaster.

"Next year, we hope there would be allocation of budget fund for port quay and an ice factory, which are vital for the local fishermen," Johanis Riga said.

The fish port in the village of Mato, Banggai Laut, in line with the DED will cost around Rp75 billion to be available by phases in the next five years.

The port is badly needed by the local people as until now the districts of Banggai Laut and Banggai Kepulauan, which are islands districts, and major fish producers, have no fish landing facility.

Hasanuddin Atjo said the Mato fish port will become an embryo of the program to transform the district of Banggai Laut as a center of seafood collection and distribution not only for sea fish but also fresh water fish.

This concept is oriented to seafood, not only fish catching in the sea as ahead , there are two important issues that attract world attention - energy and food supplies which will increase to follow the population growth. (AS)