Jakarta. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) said Friday that Indonesian fishery products had undergone a thorough quality assurance process.

This quality assurance system seeks to complement Indonesia’s fishery policies, including quota-based fishing as well as sustainable fish farming. The ministry also monitors any micro-plastic contamination in waters abundant in fish resources. 

“We wish to make sure that the outputs are well-accepted, value-added, and can compete in the global market,” Ishartini, the Director General (Acting) of the Marine and Fisheries Quality Assurance Agency of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries -- also known by its acronym MFQAA -- was quoted as saying in a press statement. 

The quality assurance agency is in charge of the entire ecosystem, starting from the catching and cultivation process to the post-harvest stages including handling, distribution and processing. 

Ishartini also called for the quality assurance process to take place in an integrated and traceable manner across the entire supply and production chains, starting from raw materials (seeding, rearing and catching fish) to handling, distribution and processing. 

This is why the products have to own a variety of certifications, among others on fishery good handling practices (CPIB), fishery good aquaculture practices (CBIB), and fishery good hatchery practices (CPIB). There are also certifications on fishery feed good production practices (CPPIB), fishery drugs good production practices (CPOIB), fishery drugs good distribution practices (CDOIB), Good Manufacturing Practices (SKP), an integrated quality/hazard management program critical control point analysis (HACCP), and fish distribution certificate (SPDI).

“All these quality assurance certifications that span from the upstream to the downstream sector are to make sure that the products are indeed of quality,” Ishartini said.

According to Ishartini, MFQAA aims to have 14,933 seedling units, 1,409,527 fish cultivation households, and 212 feed and drug producers certified. 

It also seeks to certify 887,425 vessels and 566 ports. In the handling, processing and marketing sector, there are 61,261 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that must be certified for their processing suitability. They also have to take a look at 385 domestic markets to make sure they are keeping the fish fresh. For exports, there are 1,300 fish processing units with 3,117 types of products that require HACCP certification, as well as 279,951 annual export frequencies that need to be certified. 

“Those are some big targets. That’s why we are asking for support from various parties,” Ishartini told Commission IV of the House of Representatives.

The lawmakers at the time said that organizational development was one of the government’s strategies to help diversify the markets of export commodities. An integrated online process involving the related agencies, coupled with a help desk, could also help the businesses in the industry.

Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Indonesia, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono not long ago talked of the government’s blue economy program for 2024. This includes strengthening the monitoring tech infrastructure and developing the cultivation modeling, among others. The minister also pushed for the central and sub-national governments to work on their licensing integration. Indonesia also seeks to protect the coasts and the small islands, work on the port infrastructure, tackle marine debris, and improve the quality of its workforce.