West Sumatra to Boost Tuna Exports to U.S. Market

Fisheries officials of Padang, Indonesia, the capital of the West Sumatra province, released a statement late last week announcing that at the end of this month, Padang would export 30 tons of tuna to the United States through its Bungus fishing port, its first shipment to the U.S. market.

Yosmeri, head of the Provincial Marine and Fisheries Office, stated that the provincial government had assigned PT Dempo, a local tuna processor, to lead the project. To prepare, PT Dempo has reserved a 40-foot container with cold storage capacity of at least minus-20 degrees C.

Four local fishing boat owners, as well as 58 domestic fishing industry processors, have registered to participate in the tuna export. Other business owners without fishing boats committed their processing facilities.

West Sumatra's provincial government is optimistic about the growth of its tuna industry. In a press conference, Yosmeri declared that the government is committed to boosting its tuna industry by upgrading the infrastructure at Bungus.

Using the 2009 provincial budget, West Sumatra will upgrade the capacity of its docks to cater to fishing boats weighing more than 100 tons. Currently, Bungus docks can only fit boats weighing up to 30 tons.

In addition to upgrading its dock capacity, the West Sumatra government will also extend Bungus Fishing Port's pier from its current 100 meters to 189 meters.

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