Jakarta (Greeners) – Minister of Marine and Fisheries Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti underlines that overfishing on sharks and manta rays in Indonesia have led to declining population of the two species, adding that high prices have spiked the trade.

“When I was a child [there was a story that] when a whale shark came then it was a sign all fish are coming, so we celebrate it. If it was stranded in the coastal areas, it didn’t die because people pushed it back to the sea. But, recently, whale sharks have become commodity,” said Minister Susi at National Symposium on Sharks and Manta Rays, in Jakarta on Wednesday (28/3).

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Furthermore, Minister Susi urged local governments to open up communication with local people and fisheries consultants to ban sharks and manta rays fishing.

“I suggest we can also come up with actions and visit seafood restaurants to stop serve shark fin soup by handing out t-shirts or stickers, so it’s direct communication to customers,” she added.

On shark and manta rays trade, Head of Marine and Fisheries Affairs Ministry Research Center, Tony Ruchimat, said that the ministry had planned out national action plan for sharks and manta rays for 2018 to 2022. The five years plan comprises of strengthening database, regulation, and standing position in the Appendix Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as both species have been categorized as Appendix II and mechanism use control.

Sustainable use which focusing more on conservation has been the recommended choice considering that sharks and manta rays have slow reproduction and growth rate.

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To protect sharks and manta rays, Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs have issued several regulations, which dated back in 2013 to 2016.

“All of those regulations are expected to improve sharks and manta rays population so that our fishermen can make use of it. Hence, I hope that law enforcement can enforce policies on sharks and manta rays in Indonesia,” she added.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Nusa Dua (Greeners) – Less fishing leads to increase global food security in the long term, cited a senior official of World Bank at Ocean World Summit 2017, in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday (24/5).

The Sunken Billions Revisited, a study reported in 2009, said that lesser fishing will be able to save fish from over-exploitation and generates additional income up to 83 billion dollars per year.

Laura Tuck, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank, said that if the policy was applied, it would increase the selling price of fish. The profits spike up from three billion dollars to 86 billion dollars per year.

The sustainable fishing method will also support demands for sea food and increase food security in the world.

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Sustainable fishing management, said Tuck, if managed in accordance to local condition, it will bring benefits, such as food security, poverty eradication and long term growth.

Reform experiences such as in Peru, Morocco, Pacific islands and West Africa, showed potential of reducing over fishing through local reform which will lead to employment and job security for coastal areas.

“The changes in global fisheries policies will also ensure long term fish stock declining in the world because 90 percent of sea food business, monitored by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is over-fishing,” said Tuck adding 75 percent rising in 2005.

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Karmenu Vella, commissioner for environment, marine and fisheries, European Commission, said that the policy to reduce fishing will give big impacts to ocean economics activities as the potential was still dominated by terrestrial activities.

“So, it is huge economic opportunities if managed properly and sustainable,” she said.

Previously, Minister of Marine and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti said that Indonesia only invested 30-40 percent on marine sectors with most of them bought ships quietly and did not report to the government.

“Those fishes were eventually sold overseas,” said Minister Siti.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – A new study found that more than 50 percent of young people from farming family did not want to be farmers.

The study conducted by People’s Coalition for Food Security (KRKP) and Bogor Agricultural Institute’s Agriculture Strategic Research and Policy Directorate assessed farming regeneration of four food production regions, — Kediri, Tegal, Karawang, and Bogor –, especially rice farmers and horticulture farmers.

It showed that 63 percent of children of rice farmers did not want to be farmers. Meanwhile, 54 percent of children of horticulture farmers refused to pass on the family tradition.

Said Abdullah, KRKP’s coordinator, said that less attraction on farming from young generation was a reflection that the profession has no appeal compare to industry sector.

“Young people admit that they prefer to become industry labor because of income certainty. This is serious. It is an urgent matter need to be solved if we want to achieve food security based on Nawacita,” said Abdullah as quoted from a press release to Greeners, in Jakarta, on Wednesday (18/5).

Furthermore, he said that slow regeneration of farmers could threaten food security.

The regeneration issue, he added, could not be tackled from one sector as agriculture and farmers were inter-sector and multidisciplinary issue which required collective efforts from all parties.

He was citing to an assessment conducted by KRKP and Oxfam Indonesia which mapped out factors related to farming, early this year.

He said that access and land tenure, selling price or income, knowledge or education on agriculture, and infrastructure were important factors which could influence the interest of becoming a farmer.

“These factors are key must be addressed by the government to increase farming interest among young generation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Suryo Wiyono, Lead Research of the Agriculture Policy Research Center and Head of Plant Protection Department of IPB, said that farming regeneration started from education.

Suryo said that agriculture educational institution availability must be adaptable with current agriculture development. In addition, vocational education on higher level need to be strengthened to encourage the passion and interest of young generation on farming.

“It is about time to manage the education sector to attract young people to farming,” he said.

Agrarian reform policy can increase access and assets for farmers, subsidy output, income certainty, agricultural education, and better infrastructure.

“Failure of farming regeneration not only threatening food security and sovereignty of the country but also farmers’ welfare and livelihood. Holistic approaches must be taken and we could no longer wasting time if we really want to achieve Nawacita, food security,” he said.

Indonesia is not the only country with farming regeneration issues. Agriculture sector currently going through ageing and declining population of farmers.

Farmers in sub-Sahara of Africa are mostly 60 years old and 55 years in US. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, farmers above 45 years accounted for 61.8 percent and only 12.2 percent below 35 years, based on agricultural census in 2013. For food farmers, 47.57 percent accounts for above 50 years old.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – Indonesia’s Food and Drugs Agency (BPOM), Roy Sparringa, said that ASEAN Economics Community (AEC) gave opportunities for the country to take up active role and face challenges on trade, especially food, service and human resources, related to food security in the region.

Based on Global Food Security Index 2015 published by The Economist Intelligence Unit, Indonesia’s food quality and security ranked 74 out of 109 countries or 6th of 8 ASEAN nations.

Sparringa said that high quality food production can increase economic value and reduce poverty. Furthermore, he said that high quality food was essential to human health.

World Health Organization (WHO) predicted more than 200 diseases caused by unhealthy food consumption.

“One of the diseases related to food is diabetes, an inability of the body to process sugar resulted to high glucose level in the blood,” he said during opening ceremony of 2016 National Food Security Month, in Jakarta, on Monday (09/05).

Celebrating World Health Day 2016 on April 17, BPOM held National Food Security Month with the theme “Food Security For Future Investment”, starting on April to May.

The event is aiming to increase food security and ensure high quality food consume by people.

One of the agenda is establishing Food Security Policy Research Center, a joint center between BPOM and Bogor Agricultural Institute that aims to increase public health and Indonesia’s food product competitiveness.

“Today marked the peak of Food Security Month. I want to promote food security network, which involving members of integrated food security network, to serve as communication, information and education center for people working in food industry. In addition, to increase public knowledge on food security. Hence, good food security practices can be consistently applied from individual to industry and ensure for high quality food product availability in Indonesia,” said Sparringa.

Reports by Danny Kosasih