JAYAPURA — Papua Governor Matius D. Fakhiri said that the Papua Provincial Government has proposed 200 locations for the Red and White Fishing Villages program, with 121 of them considered ready for development.

"Papua has enormous potential in the marine sector because much of its territory is dominated by water. Therefore, marine management should not only focus on fishing, but also on developing the fisheries industry," he said during a socialization event for the development of Red and White Fishing Villages at the governor's office on Thursday (March 5).

"We will start with good marine management. Not only catching fish, but also building the industry," he said.

Fakhiri added that the development of the fisheries sector has begun to show results. Recently, Papua exported 17 tons of processed tuna products, and that figure is targeted to increase in the future.

"If yesterday we exported 17 tons, going forward we will multiply that. The hope is that this can increase Papua Province's locally generated revenue," he said.

Meanwhile, Director General of Capture Fisheries at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Lotharia Latif, said that so far there are 179 location points that have been recorded from all provinces in the land of Papua, plus 29 new proposed points that will still be verified through field surveys.

"However, we are still opening opportunities, with the hope that we can develop Red and White Fishing Villages widely across Papua," he said.

He explained that the development of these fishing villages began with the Red and White Fishing Village project in Samberbinyeri, Biak Numfor Regency, which serves as a role model or pilot project.

"This program is expected to create new jobs, boost economic growth, and at the same time strengthen the welfare of coastal communities in Papua," he concluded. ***