South Kalimantan pushes fishery sector exports

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - The South Kalimantan Industry and Trade Agency continues to encourage fishery exports to increase the value and volume of non-mining export.

Head of Foreign Trade at the agency Gusti Yasni Iqbal in Banjarmasin on Friday said South Kalimantan's export sector is still focused on shrimp and turtle.

The facts they are not exported directly, but through some neighboring provinces such as East Java, done by some companies who open branches in this area.

Whereas the potential of fishery resources, especially catch fish, in South Kalimantan is quite large, but has not worked out maximally. In fact, he added, since the last few years some fishery companies in South Kalimantan went bankrupt, as a result of pond business built, did not develop well.

Many shrimp ponds attacked by disease, causing the companies could not fulfilled export quota. 

"Many fishery companies are out of business, the shipment of fish from South Kalimantan is reduced. What left are only sea shrimp," he said.

Other problem, he said, shipping facilities such as cold storage is scarce. That's why many fishermen choose to sell their fish on the sea rather than bringing home to the land.

Cold storage is one of the supporting tools that serves as a storage place for the catch of fishermen in order to maintain the quality of the catch.