BIAK — After reviewing Senior High School 41 Biak Numfor to ensure that educational services were being carried out properly, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming visited Fandoi Fish Market in Biak Numfor Regency, Papua, to directly observe fish trading activities, the distribution chain of fishery products, as well as supporting facilities used by traders and fishermen, on Tuesday (13/01/2026).

During the visit, the Vice President emphasized that strengthening the fishermen's economy must be carried out in an integrated manner, in line with President Prabowo Subianto's directive to develop Kampung Nelayan (Fishermen's Village) as a center for the production, processing, and marketing of community-based fishery products.

The Fishermen's Village currently being developed by the central government in Biak is expected to be directly connected with public markets such as Fandoi Fish Market, so that improvements in facilities, smoother distribution, and increased competitiveness of local fishery products can progress hand in hand—making the market not only a place for transactions, but also a driver of prosperity for coastal communities.

During this inspection, the Vice President was accompanied by Papua Governor Mathius D. Fakhiri, Commander of the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Regional Command Major General TNI Amrin Ibrahim, Director of PT Biak Ocean Seafood Yunus Saflembolo, Deputy Regent of Biak Numfor Jimmy Carter Rumbarar Kapissa, and Head of the Biak Numfor Fisheries Office Effendi Igirisa.

On this occasion, the Vice President also directly inspected the operation of the cool storage facility located in the Fandoi Fish Market area. He stressed the importance of maintaining the quality of fishery products as the key to expanding access to export markets.

"Quality must be maintained so that fishermen's fishery products can penetrate export markets," the Vice President emphasized.

In a separate statement, Head of the Biak Numfor Fisheries Office Effendi Igirisa explained that the facility has a storage capacity of up to 200 tons, with freezing capability reaching 10 tons through an air blast freezer (ABF).

"This cool storage facility was built in 2018 through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries' Integrated Marine and Fisheries Center program with funding support from JICA. The asset has now been handed over to the Biak Numfor Regional Government and is being managed in cooperation with PT Biak Ocean Seafood," Effendi said.

According to him, PT Biak Ocean Seafood purchases fish from fishermen across various areas, including East Biak, North Biak, West Biak, and Biak City, as well as surrounding island regions. In approximately three months of operation, the management has shipped six containers of fish to Semarang, where they are then sorted and exported to China.

Effendi added that, to maintain supply continuity, the operator has also expanded its own fishing fleet with a vessel of around 54 GT. This step was taken to preserve business stability, especially when weather conditions are unfavorable and fishermen's catches decline.

He further stated that the presence of the cool storage facility has had a positive impact on fishermen's income. With adequate storage facilities, fishermen's catches can be absorbed in large quantities without causing prices to fall in the market.

"Prices have become more stable, so fishermen's incomes have increased," he said.

In addition to fish, Fandoi Market also provides various other food needs, including vegetables. On the sidelines of the visit, the Vice President took time to greet the traders—not only fish sellers, but also vegetable vendors operating in the market.

One of them was Dolfina Pondayar (66), a betel nut seller who has been trading at Fandoi Market since 2002. She expressed her happiness over the Vice President's visit and hoped for capital assistance for small traders, especially Papuan women.

"We Papuan women sell goods, but our only shortcoming is capital. So we can only sell a little at a time," she said.

For information, Fandoi Fish Market has a dry market area of 1,250 square meters and a wet market area of 750 square meters, with three market halls equipped with 60 concrete tables. Currently, around 60 vegetable traders and 110 fish traders are actively selling there every day, from 06.00 to 23.00 Eastern Indonesia Time. This visit reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthening traditional markets as the foundation of the regional economy, while also expanding access to prosperity for fishermen and small traders in the Land of Papua. ***