NTB`s 2009 seaweed production reaches 100,000 tons

Antara News, Sunday, December 13, 2009 02:32 WIB

Mataram, W Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - West Nusa Tenggara or NTB province produced a total of 100,000 tons of dried seaweed from January to November 2009, a maritime and fisheries official said.

"Actually NTB can increase its dried seaweed production because out of its 23,000 hectares of potential seaweed production area, only 6,700 hectares have so far been developed," head of the provincial maritime and fisheries office, H.M. Ali Syahdan said here Saturday.

Syahdan said NTB seaweed farmers became more motivated to produce seaweed after learning that the fisheries and marine commodity was exported to many countries.

In fact, seaweed was now one of Indonesia`s premier marine export commodities.

Therefore, it was not surprising that national seaweed production increased from 32,000 tons in 2006 to over 36,000 tons in 2007 and to nearly 70,000 tons in 2008 and 100,000 tons in 2009, he said.

NTB`s provincial government had launched a movement for coastal communities with a dried seaweed-based production target in the year 2013 totaling 546,626.40 tons of seaweed export standard quality.

According to Syahdan, NTB has the potential to produce 800,000 tons of seaweed in a producing area of about 41,000 hectares.

Seaweed production in this area was expected to continue to rise to the maximum target of 800,000 tons, Syahdan said, without mentioning the value of the exported seaweed.

Syahdan said, seaweed production centers were spread in the districts of East Lombok, Central Lombok, West Lombok, and other districts which have coastal area.

The number of seaweed farmers in the province had reached 6,000, he added.