Edy Kamaraha, a fisherman from Kawasi village, Obi Island, beamed with joy as he disembarked from his motorboat. He was carrying two grouper and two giant tuna, each weighing approximately 8 kg, to the yard of the blue Fishermen's Farming Business Center (SUTAN) to clean his catch.
"The fish here (in the waters of Kawasi) are large and fresh. Thanks to Harita Nickel's assistance, we can temporarily store our catch and maintain its quality," he said as he loaded the two fish into one of the 500 kg cold storage facilities.
The high productive potential of the marine ecosystem in the waters surrounding Kawasi waters are a boon to the Kawasi Village fishermen's group, as their catch can meet the food needs of Harita Nickel employees.
In return, the group have received assistance in the form of boats, cold storage, and, more importantly, a distribution channel for the fishermen's catch to meet Harita Nickel's employee consumption needs. This support forms part of one of the company's community development and empowerment programs.
The overarching goal is to improve productivity and boost the local economy. This assistance is provided, not only to fishermen, but also to local suppliers who have been supplying the company with fish.
Previously, the company's employees' fish needs were met by suppliers from outside Obi Island. At that time, several factors prevented local fishermen from supplying the company's needs, including a lack of storage space for their catch. Consequently, the fish was not fresh and could not be resold.
Based on this, an empowerment program for fishermen was implemented through the provision of boats and cold storage facilities managed by the fishermen of Kawasi Village. Now, with storage facilities in place, the quality of the catch can be assured.
Sumber: Liputan6.com