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Indonesia is proposing that marine products produced and sold in Asia Pacific undergo certification in order to increase their esteem on international markets and to discourage poaching. Maritime and Fishery Ministry Secretary General Widi Agoes Pratikto said Monday the certification would ensure the quality and safety of the products and also production methods.
"Such certification is important to ensure and promote the quality of the products," said Widi on the sidelines of the 30th Asia Pacific Commission.
Indonesia's marine products often fall short of European Union quality and safety standards due to their lack of certification.
Certification will also discourage sales of illegal fishing exports as no country would accept products devoid of quality and origin stamps, Widi said.
Senior advisor for the fishery department at Thailand's agriculture ministry Sanchai Tandavanity said the system would help Asia Pacific countries, including in Southeast Asia, market their products.
"We need to have a comprehensive standardized certificate so that all countries know the standard. It will also function to bring down non-tariff barriers in the trade of marine products," he said.
The meeting also discussed efforts to combat illegal fishing, which is estimated to cost Indonesia US$3.0 billion in losses every year, according to Marine and Fishery Ministry data.
Widi said Indonesia had been working to strictly regulate the traffic of fishing vessels in every port in the country.
"We have asked all port authorities as well as our representative officials stationed there to carefully check the amount of fish caught by big fishing vessels.
"We will also examine the origin of the fish," he said.
Indonesia's fishery sector grew steadily between 2004 and 2006, contributing $2.1 billion in foreign exchange revenue in 2006, up from $1.9 billion in 2005 and $1.6 billion in 2004. Source:
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