Central Papua – Efforts to advance the maritime sector in Central Papua continue through the development of a modern fisheries ecosystem. The Central Papua Provincial Government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), is preparing to develop Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih (Red and White Fishermen Villages) in several areas as a strategic step to improve fishermen’s welfare while strengthening the regional economy.
The program is planned to be implemented in four regencies, namely Nabire, Mimika, Paniai, and Deiyai. This initiative is part of a broader transformation in the marine and fisheries sector aimed at creating new economic opportunities for coastal communities as well as residents living around lake areas in Central Papua.
Acting Head of the Central Papua Marine and Fisheries Agency (DKP), Karlos Matuan, stated that the provincial government has proposed several locations for the development of the Red and White Fishermen Villages to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.
“We have proposed 16 candidate locations for the Red and White Fishermen Villages to the KKP, and we are currently waiting for the verification process from the survey team regarding land readiness, road access, and electricity availability,” said Karlos.
He explained that the program will be developed according to the potential of each region. Coastal areas such as Nabire and Mimika will focus on marine capture fisheries, while Paniai and Deiyai will emphasize freshwater fisheries development by utilizing the potential of major lakes in the region.
In addition to the development of fishermen villages, the government is also encouraging the strengthening of supporting infrastructure such as fishing ports, fish storage facilities like cold storage, and processing technology to increase the added value of fishery products.
Through this program, each regency will have one fishermen village that functions as a distribution hub, while surrounding villages will serve as supporting production areas. All fish catches will later be centralized and marketed through a cooperative system to strengthen the distribution chain and improve fishermen’s income.
The development of this modern fishermen village ecosystem is expected to become an important step in driving maritime transformation in Central Papua while strengthening community economic independence and accelerating regional development in Papua.
