Mata Kail, an abbreviation of “Mari Kita Kreatif dan Arif agar Ikan Lestari (Let’s be creative and wise for the sustainability of fish), was launched in three NTT regencies, namely Sikka, Nagekeo and Lembata.

“The program will run for three years from 2018 to 2021. It aims to increase the capacity of 160 micro, small and medium entrepreneurs by training them in fish management, food security and entrepreneurship,” said Plan International Indonesia Foundation executive director Dini Widiastuti during the launch of the Mata Kail program in Kupang on Wednesday.

The partnership formed part of Plan International Indonesia’s commitment to support the NTT administration to give opportunities to young people to get decent jobs, she added.

Warm welcome: Hans Farnhammer, the European Union’s head of cooperation in Indonesia (right), gets traditional hand woven fabric from Buraen subdistrict head Jhon Nomeni during a visit to Buraen subdistrict, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday. (JP/Djemi Amnifu)

Dini hoped the program could synergize with other fishery programs run by various parties to increase both saltwater and freshwater fishery yields in the province.

“Locals will have a greater chance to obtain high quality fish so that the nutritional status of NTT’s people can get better by cultivating a culture to eat healthy and safe fish only,” Dini said.

Hans Farnhammer, the EU’s head of cooperation in Indonesia, said the group was really supporting sustainable production and consumption in Indonesia, one of which was through the Mata Kail project that was funded by the SWITCH Asia II program.

This EU program aims to improve economic welfare, reducing poverty in Asia and tackling climate impacts.

According to 2016 data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), fisheries are among the dominating sectors in the NTT. Unfortunately, the industrial capabilities of fishery actors across the province are considered not yet enough. (ebf/kuk)