Indonesian Fisheries Exports To Europe Are Still Constrained, KKP Reveals The Cause

Head of BPPMHKP KKP Ishartini. Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI

JAKARTA - Europe is one of the most potential fishery export markets for Indonesia. However, Indonesia is still hindered from fully utilizing the market. Head of the Marine and Fishery Product Quality Control and Supervision Agency (BPPMHKP) of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ishartini does not deny that the number and variant of Indonesian fishery products in the European Union market is stagnant. This situation has occurred since seven years ago. "Currently, there are 176 fish processing units that have exported to the European Union. However, to increase the number of approval numbers, this is still not possible, yes. It has been seven years that we have not been able to increase the number or increase the number of products that can be sent or exported there," said Ishartini in a press conference related to the performance of KKP Semester I-2024 in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 30.

One of the reasons why Indonesia's fishery exports to Europe are not optimal is because the Blue Continent still considers the quality of Indonesian fishery products to have not met standards in the upstream sector. The upstream sector consists of since the fish were caught and handled on board, taken to suppliers to the management unit.

To overcome this problem, Ishartini explained that his party was trying to convince the European Union that the quality guarantee system from upstream to downstream of Indonesian fishery products was good. Communication is being pursued with the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante) of the European Union.

"So, this is an effort that we are making to be able to communicate with teams from the European Union, DG SANTE (Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety), to be able to convince them that we have actually done quality coaching and quality guarantees," he said.

On the other hand, Ishartini said that the KKP would cooperate with all business actors in the upstream to downstream sector to maintain the quality and quality of Indonesian fishery products.

In this way, Ishartini hopes that the number of fish from Indonesia approved by the European Union to be marketed on the Blue Continent can increase.

"One of them will later be shown by business units, both in the arrest of cultivation which already has a quality assurance certification so that we can assure the export destination country. So, our approval number will increase. With the increase in approval numbers, of course, it will increase the volume and value of exports to the European Union," he added.

Previously, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the fishing model in Indonesia was still not in accordance with fishermen in other countries. This makes it difficult for Indonesian fishery products to enter the European Union.

Trenggono also said that the way Indonesian fishermen catch fish is still barbaric or can be said to be out of control.

"Because the way of arresting (the fisheries) in Indonesia is still barbaric. It is true that our arrests are barbaric. Overseas arrests are based on demand," Trenggono said at the Outlook Press Conference & Priority Program for the Marine and Fisheries Sector at the KKP Building, Jakarta, Wednesday, January 10.

In addition, the European Union also applies a high tax rate of fish from Indonesia, which can reach above 20 percent. Whereas Indonesia has a Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) or a country's trade policy that provides a cut in import duties to export products of recipient countries. Thus, the import duty rate for Indonesian products to the European Union has decreased slightly compared to the normal rate.