Earlier this year, Luhut said the government hoped the maritime sector would contribute up to 25 percent of the national economy within the next 10 years.
The government is formulating maritime economic indicators in a serious effort to fully develop the country’s maritime resources in order to boost the national economy, Central Statistics Agency (BPS) head Suharyanto said on Wednesday.
The fisheries and maritime sector currently contributes only 6 percent to the national economy, absorbs 3.08 percent of the national workforce (3.6 million people), and contributes 8.62 percent of the total export value, according to BPS data.
“The indicators are needed to measure growth in the maritime economy, and will be a reference for maritime development,” Suharyanto said after a meeting with Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan in Jakarta.
As the first step in formulating the indicators, the BPS had already established baselines for maritime economic growth, maritime exports and maritime employment, said Suharyanto, adding that in a further step, the agency would explore the characteristics of each maritime cluster.
Earlier this year, Luhut said the government hoped the maritime sector would contribute up to 25 percent of the national economy within the next 10 years.
“It can be achieved if we work more efficiently. The problem is, there are inefficiencies in the sector at the moment,” Luhut said in February on the sidelines of the 2017 World Ocean Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali.
Major contributors in the maritime sector include fisheries, tourism and energy. (dis/bbn, The Jakarta Post)
Government Offers Madura Growth Center Development Projects 