JAKARTA - Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono met a number of representatives of north coastal fishermen (Pantura) after the signing of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 47 of 2024 concerning the Elimination of bad debts to MSMEs in the fields of Agriculture, Plantation, Livestock, Fisheries and Marine Affairs and other MSMEs, Tuesday night, November 5.
Trenggono said the issuance of the policy of eliminating debt was a form of government defense to small communities, including fishermen. His party will immediately review in more detail the PP and will follow up.
"President Prabowo's steps are clear, defending the small community. We will study in detail the mechanism for removing this debt and immediately step on the gas to follow up," Trenggono said in his official statement, quoted Thursday, November 7.
He explained that the requirements and mechanisms for removing the debts of fishermen could be made in the regulation of the Ministerial Regulation (Permen). Most importantly, eliminating debt provides opportunities for fishermen to return to be even more productive.
Regarding the number of MSMEs that are in debt, his party is still calculating. Trenggono promised the calculations and mechanisms can be completed in the near future. "We will immediately calculate and prepare the rules in detail," he said.
In line with the partiality shown by Prabowo in the marine and fisheries sector, Trenggono applies a government intervention model to increase the productivity of fishing communities and cultivators as blue food producers.
The intervention in question is in the form of the construction of modern fishing infrastructure or infrastructure using the KKP budget. So far, the KKP has built a modeling for seaweed, shrimp, lobster and tilapia copy in various regions of Indonesia. The modeling program will continue for the next five years.
"The key is that it is intervention, the government must intervene. If it is for the importance of food security, it can't be done, the government must do that and will never lose because the impact of the growth generated will be very large," he said.
Meanwhile, Representative of the Traditional Fishermen's Union, Kajidin, said that fishermen in his area welcomed the policy of eliminating debt signed by President Prabowo. Kajidin admits that many fishermen owe it to banks to meet the operational costs of going to sea.
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"For fishermen, we are very happy, especially in the current condition, their income has decreased while their operational needs remain high. Then, there is the signing of this policy. Of course we really welcome it," he explained.
Kajidin hopes that this debt elimination program will run on target. For this reason, he asked the ministry/institution that handles it to go directly to the field to ensure that anyone who is entitled to receive assistance for eliminating the debt.
"Maybe from the relevant ministries come to the location to see anywhere, really, whose debts deserve to be settled. This means that there are small, medium and modern fishermen. This can be seen, so the program is right on target and has a priority scale," he added.
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