KKP Prepares Strategy To Strengthen Fisheries Export Diplomacy To The European Union

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has prepared a strategy to strengthen diplomacy to European Union countries to increase Indonesia's fishery exports and expand international markets.

"KKP has prepared a strategy to strengthen fishery diplomacy to European Union countries. Through the work unit of the Quality Body, the KKP has synergized with stakeholders and so far there are 176 fishery companies that have EU approval numbers," said Head of the KKP Quality Agency Ishartini in a statement in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, February 19.

He conveyed that the diplomatic strategy in question included implementing in-person high-level approaches and clarification by involving diplomatic channels and sectors related to hands-on leadership, focus group discussions (FGD) roles upstream - downstream on a regular basis.

The KKP also assists competent authorities by embracing the EU Delegation for Indonesia so that it can provide a comprehensive and recent explanation to the central EU, as well as bridge the effectiveness of fulfilling technical recommendations to show that the quality and safety guarantee system of fishery products (SJMKHP) is operational.

"We have clarified several things at a meeting with the high-level official DG Sante EU and some have received positive responses," said Ishartini.

"Right now, I am immediately busy with echelon I related to the KKP to prepare the rest which we will send to Brussels soon, so we are still on process to reopen the approval number," added Ishartini.

In the near future, talks will also be held on the formation of a cooperation scheme within the framework of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) as one of the CEPA negotiating items.

He said Brussels opened up opportunities for SPS cooperation. This can optimize the opportunity to eliminate technical gaps so that the proposed increase in the number of companies can be approved.

"I have conveyed to the EU Delegation that our synergy marks a new chapter in cooperation to increase bilateral trade," said Ishartini.

Previously in a coordination meeting with the EU Delegation for Indonesia in Jakarta, Ishartini also emphasized the call for synergy to strengthen fishery exports.

The EU currently ranks fifth in the export destination of Indonesian fishery products with leading commodities being tuna - skipjack (36.5 percent), cephalopod (16.9 percent), shrimp (12.5 percent) and seaweed (8.1 percent).

In addition, Indonesia and Vietnam are two countries in Asia that supply the needs of frog meat. Not all fishery producing countries, especially in Asia, can export fishery products to the EU.

This is because strict food quality and safety standards are enforced by the competent EU authorities or DG SANTE.

The European Union (EU) is an intergovernmental and supranational organization consisting of 27 countries on the European continent.

Based on data, the EU is one of the largest consumers of world fishery products with a population consumption rate of around 24-25 kg per year. With an average population income of 37,900 Euros or around Rp630 million, the EU fisheries market is lucrative.

Furthermore, Ishartini said that to be able to carry out export activities of fishery commodities to the EU, each country must obtain official approval from the EU competent authority (country-based) and this is obtained through a series of inspections of the upstream to downstream quality and safety guarantee system (SJMKHL).

The determination of the country-based approval for Indonesia as one of the countries that can export fishery commodities to the EU since 1994 through the EU Commission Decision (CD) Number 324/94.

The EU regulations also include the appointment of competent authorities responsible for the implementation of SJMKHP and through this authority registration/proposal of fishery companies that can be exported to the EU after going through a fair process.

The competent EU authorities periodically carry out inspections to Indonesia to ensure that the operationalization of SJMKHP produces products according to EU standards.

"The principle or key point requested by the EU is how to demonstrate to them that the rules that we have compiled and NSPK really operate from upstream to downstream," said Ishartini.

He added that to achieve this requires joint work of all components, both the government, the private sector and related stakeholders.

"The result we achieved today is the fruit of working together with the government and synergized business actors," he added.

In the context of expanding the EU market, joint work and synergy are needed between the government as the regulator and the private sector and related stakeholders.

The implementation of SJMKHP in the field has a locus which is an active role for business actors, including those who are promising is to provide guidance and ensure the process of receiving raw materials along with tracing or tracing according to EU requirements and standards, ensuring that suppliers and ships are certified and meet EU standards.

Previously, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono asked his staff to continue to provide instructions regarding the importance of product quality and safety to meet global standards.

That way, Indonesia's exports to global markets, especially the United States, Japan, China, and Europe will continue to increase.