Fisheries Ministry to Conduct Labor-Intensive Programs to Speed Up National Economic Recovery

Source: kkp.go.id

In a bid to speed up national economic recovery, the Government has set aside a budget of Rp405.61 billion for eight labor-intensive program activities in the marine and fisheries sector this year.

According to Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, the activities include construction of ponds/aquaculture irrigation using Minapadi technology (fish farming in rice field), assistance of floating net cages for marine aquaculture (KJA), utilization of shrimp pond area cluster, utilization of millennial shrimp pond area cluster, rehabilitation of mangrove areas, development of community salt trade (pugar)/irrigation of salt lands, and construction of public salt trading facilities and infrastructure.

Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries estimated that these activities are expected to absorb 4,673 workers with the amount of daily wages ranging from Rp100,000 to 120,000 per person.

“We will review the program again so as to make optimum use of human labor in these activities,” the Minister said on Monday (15/02).

The Minister will also seek to absorb more workers than the existing estimates by cutting down the use of machines. He also asked that the raw materials for the program be purchased from the people.

The implementation of these activities, the Minister said, will commence in the near future. This is in accordance with the directives of Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment that the labor-intensive program must be started before the fasting month of Ramadhan which falls in mid-April this year in hope that the people can sufficiently meet their needs during the month until Eid al-Fitr.

“Hopefully, the activities will be completed by Eid,” he remarked. (Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Public Relations/UN)(FI/MUR)