The central government through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry will make every effort to help increase fish production in West Sulawesi province.

The government`s resolve is based on the fact that the province has superior commodities in the marine and fisheries sector including the fishery sub-sector with cultivation of sea, aquaculture pond and aquaculture pool.

Therefore, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said in West Sulawesi provincial capital of Mamuju on Monday that he was ready to build a fish breeding center in the province.

According to the minister, the presence of a fish breeding center would support and increase the province`s fish production.

"With a coastline of around 677 kilometers, West Sulawesi province has a very promising fish production potential that can raise the local people`s welfare," Fadel said here on Monday.

Therefore he said the fish production potential in the province should be run and managed properly for the improvement of local people`s economy and welfare.

He said the ministry`s directorate general of aquaculture has designed the fish breeding center in West Sulawesi to help increase fish production in the province.

The minister added that the fish breeding center that would be built in 2012 was intended to increase both regional and national fish production.

"We hope that fish breeding center will increase both aquaculture and fishing operations in West Sulawesi and elsewhere," Fadel said.

Fadel admitted that besides building the fish breeding center, the maritime and fisheries ministry would also give aid to help the local fishermen build cages to enable to maximize their income.

"These aid to build the cages also help maximize production in the province," Fadel said.

West Sulawesi province has potential natural resources from agriculture, forestry, oceanic and fishery, animal husbandry to plantations.

Oceanic and fishery resources of this province produce 18,456 tons of fish in 2005, consisting of 37,720.4 tons of sea fishery and 4,364 tons land fishery. 

Meanwhile, West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh said recently that the ministry would soon develop marine and fisheries sector at a number of districts in the province.

"With the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, we are going to develop marine and fisheries sector as one of superior commodity besides plantation and agriculture sectors," the governor said in Polewali Mandar (Polman) recently.

He said one of potential sectors to be developed was marine tourism in Majene district, in addition to improvement in 

marine transportation facilities through the maximization of port management in four other districts with strategic location for trading activity.

The governor added that supporting facilities for the local fishermen would also be improved so that they were able to compete with other fishermen in other provinces.

"I hope through the development of marine and fisheries sector in West Sulawesi by the central government, the local fishermen in the coastal areas will have a wither opportunity to improve their economy and welfare," Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh said.

According to him, West Sulawesi has promising potential in tourism, trade, and marine and fisheries sectors that could be developed for the local people`s welfare.

Therefore, with a good coordination between the local and central governments, there would be a wider opportunity for all people of all districts in the province to develop all existing potentials.

"We hope all district administrations will have a good coordination with provincial government, and the provincial government will also do the same with the central government for the development of marine and fisheries sector across West Sulawesi province," the governor noted.

He pointed out that the districts in the province had tremendous potential but acknowledged that it required more infrastructure development to attract foreign investors.

"West Sulawesi still requires more investment in the building of ports, infrastructure to support agriculture, energy and tourism," he said, adding that they have prepared to support for investors wishing to invest in those areas, such as electricity and hotels, to accommodate their needs.

The province had a long-term plan to attract an international investor to build a 1,800 megawatt hydro-power plant in the province, he said.

Meanwhile, Harry Warganegara, the director of the West Sulawesi provincial enterprises department, has said the provincial government was building several smaller hydro-power plants of 5MW to 10MW that would cost Rp 5 billion to Rp 10 billion each. 

The presence of micro hydro-power plants in West Sulawesi would support industrial development and improve the local people`s economy

According to Harry, the provincial administration would build the power plants each with a capacity of two to three megawatts.

Harry who is also chairman of the West Sulawesi chamber of commerce and industry (Kadin) said the micro-hydro power plants were aimed at improving industrial development in the province.

He said West Sulawesi was rich with natural resources such as mining, animal husbandry, and fisheries, and if all the potentials were developed properly, West Sulawesi would be more advanced and the local people would become more prosperous

Source: ANTARA