Fishery planned for Tangerang

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/12/2008 10:45 AM  

The Tangerang Regency is planning to develop a fishery industry on its north coast, the regency's planning office says. 

Benyamin Davnie, the head of Tangerang Regency Planning Office (Bappeda), said on Tuesday that the regency was planning to develop the agriculturally-based area north of Tangerang into a fishery hub. 

Between 30-40 percent of the 51 kilometer long coastline on the Java Sea will be used. "The fishermen there still fish in the traditional way. The area has untapped potential," he said after a seminar on sustainable and environmental planning, organized by the Pelita Harapan University in Jakarta. 

A seaport it planned to aid transport in the area. 

"Without one, it will not be enticing for investors," he said, hinting that the administration has been talking with some Korean investors. 

He stressed that, on paper, there should not be a clash of interest between traditional fishermen and newcomers with modern equipment, because they will have different catchment areas. He did not have data, though, on the amount of fish in the area. 

"Traditional fishermen only reach around 5 kilometers out to sea, while those with modern equipment will fish further out," he said. 

To prepare the local residents for the development, the administration plans to build some vocational schools, which will concentrate on fishery skills, in the area. 

"We have acquired the land but the building will not start until next year," he said. 

Besides the fishery industry, the development of a new residential area is also planned in the north and west of Tangerang regency, considering the relatively large area it has. Currently, 80 percent of Tangerang's northern area is used for agriculture, although there has been a shift to trade as different industries spring up. 

As a whole, the regency is shifting toward industry and residential usage as it accommodates the spillover from Jakarta. The Planning Agency allocates 66,622 hectares, accounting for 60 percent of its 111,000 hectare land, for development, mostly for residents and the necessary supporting facilities. 

According to the Statistics Agency, in 2007, 39 percent of the regency was used for agriculture, 22 percent for residential buildings, 31 percent was forest with some 5 for other purposes. The regency is home to more than 1,000 factories. 

Winarjono, Banten province's head of water resource and residential agency, said a shift in land use still did not pose significant threat or worsen the flood risk in the regency, but might threaten local food resilience.