To Brazil, Prabowo Says 40,000 Fishing Vessels Need 40,000

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto conveyed the need for fishing vessels to offer downstream programs to business people in Brazil. This is in an effort to improve the economy of the Indonesian maritime sector.

This was said by President Prabowo when delivering his remarks on the agenda of the Indonesia-Brazil Business Forum, in Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil.

"We need 40 thousand fishing vessels, 150 GT to 300 GT. So that's another field that we invite foreign cooperation to take part in our economy," President Prabowo quoted Antara as saying.

Based on the opinion of experts, said the President, the Indonesian marine sector is one of the resources for fisheries reserves in the world.

"Indonesia is ranked number 2 or 3 in fisheries reserves, the potential is very, very large," he said.

In addition to expressing the need for fishing vessels, President Prabowo also invited Brazilian businessmen to seize protein production opportunities from the Indonesian maritime sector.

"Also utilizing more of our maritime resources, producing enough protein from many products. So we are open to business," he said.

On that occasion, the President also conveyed Indonesia's efforts to build industrialization through the downstream program which includes 26 vital commodities.

The commodities in question include nickel, tin, copper, steel, silver gold, coal, asphalt, and petroleum.

In addition, there are natural gas, coconut, rubber, pine sap, shrimp, TCT fish, crabs, seaweed, silica sand, cobal, rare earth metals, cocoa, nutmeg and tilapia.

"Indonesia has a strategic plan, we will immediately implement it in 26 commodities. It can create real value many times over which we can develop more with the production of goods," he said.