Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said that the inauguration of the Seaweed Cultivation Village --in Liya Bahari Village, Wakatobi District, Southeast Sulawesi-- was part of a series of World's Ocean Day commemorations on June 8. The Village was expected to help farming communities improve the quality and volume of their products.
"Currently, the area is not optimally utilized. Next year, we aim to increase to 450 hectares, according to the existing potential," Trenggono stated in a press statement received here, Wednesday.
As an initial stage, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries provided assistance with five packages of seedling gardens and cultivation facilities, including ropes, buoys, and seeds from tissue culture.
The assistance would help to achieve the target to expand the cultivated area to 450 hectares by 2023.
To support the activities of seaweed cultivation with an area of 450 hectares, at least 45 hectares of the nursery are needed, Trenggono said.
For this development, the Minister asked his staff at the Directorate General of Aquaculture to optimally develop the seaweed seed gardens.
"The purpose of the program is to bring the seaweed industry to help the farming community's economy. Thus the exchange rate of cultivators can also increase," he added.
The commemoration of the 2022 World's Ocean Day in Wakatobi is filled with various activities that are in line with the theme carried by the Ministry, including Revitalizing the Marine and Fisheries Sector with a Blue Economy.
Besides launching the Grass Cultivation Village in Liya Bahari Village, the Ministry also held a coastal clean-up activity in the Bajo Tribe fishing village in North Mola Village, an exhibition of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) products, and the Gemar Ikan campaign targeting the community and students to consume fish on daily basis.
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