Indonesia should be the largest seaweed producer in the world. However, today is Phillippine.Blessed be Indonesia. With an area of waters of 5.8 million square kilometers and coastline of 50,000 miles long—second longest in the world, Indonesia is a fertile land for seaweed. As we all know, the plant has many benefits including foodstuff, cosmetics and medicine for various diseases. In our waters, there are more than 782 species of seaweed. The mixture of tropical climate, hot temperature and bay with calm and shallow waters has made us rich.
The volume of export of Indonesian seaweed during 2000-2004 has increased by 19.83% with total reserves in 2004 amounted to US$6.2 million. Based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2004, the volume of exported seaweed reached 50 thousand tons with a value of around US$24.3 million. In addition, exported jelly in 2004 reached 3 thousand tons which valued to US$6.2 million; and exported alginate reached 6.2 kilograms which valued around US$14 thousand. These are large sources of revenues for state as well as great fortune for farmers and coastal people.
Indonesia has been late enough to realize the importance of seaweed as the source of state reserves. Studies, researches and information on the plant have only been revealed in the last few years. As a result, industrial sectors as well as investors have not yet penetrated into the Indonesian regions. according to Prof Dr Jana Anggadiredja, MS., Deputy Head of the Division of Natural Resources Technology Development at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). “In fact, around 20 of our provinces have the potentials of producing seaweed. And it is not entirely. However, as regards the products, we are far behind Philippines. We have only produced 15 products while Philippines’s are more than 150,’ said Jana, also Chairman of Indonesian Seaweed Community. Today, the value of export of Philippines’ seaweed has reached US$700 million per year.In addition to the low production, the quality of many Indonesian seaweed raw materials and products are under the standards of industrial quality, locally or internationally. Muhammad Misbakhun, Commissioner of PT Argo Lestari Makmur Sejahtera (ALMS), said that this occurred because farmers used to harvesting the plant before its normal yielding time comes. This has indirectly ruined Indonesian seaweed market. “The normal period should be 45 days. But it has already been harvested when it is only 30 days old. It has resulted in its poor quality. There is the market out there. However, we have bad name on regional and national levels,’ said Misbakhum.
This happens because the farmers are usually in need of fast money. Urged by the high market demand, they did not care with the quality.
Currently, the average income of seaweed farmers are amount to between Rp1.5 million and Rp2 million per harvesting time (1.5 months). Each hectare of seaweed pond averagely yields one ton of dry seaweed that can be sold with the price of Rp3,500 per kilogram.
During the last three years, PT ALMS is still the sole exporter in Italy and half of Eastern European area. The need of export to the countries is still high. “I, with my 200 workers of mine, can only produce 15 tons a month. In fact, demands are high and we could do it,” said Misbakhun.
In 2006, Philippines produced 100,000 tons of seaweed of euchema kind. Indonesian’s were only around 86,000 tons. However, Philippines is no longer able to explore it by virtue of the lack of land. Meanwhile, there are still many landplots in Indonesia which are not yet cultivated maximally. With the development of world’s jelly need that increases by 10-15 percent per year, it will surely be the chance for us.
The business is still promising. If the story goes like this, it is not only seaweed that becomes business potential, tourism around the cultivation site and the seaweed factory can also hit a profit.
source:
No comments:
Post a Comment