SOUTH SORONG WOMEN CREATE PROCESSED SHRIMP HEAD PRODUCTS
Shrimp is one of the most nutrient-rich seafoods, making it highly sought after by seafood lovers. However, from a sustainability perspective, shrimp food products should come from responsible fishing practices to ensure the availability of shrimp for future generations.
On the other hand, not all parts of shrimp are utilized to their full potential. In South Sorong District, shrimp heads are still discarded and left scattered on the shoreline. WWF-Indonesia as the implementer of the USAID Sustainable Ecosystem Advanced (USAID SEA) Project encourages the people of South Sorong to create creative shrimp processing businesses through training activities held in the hall of the South Sorong Fisheries Office. The training is expected to increase the capacity of the community in creating alternative economic sources by utilizing raw materials from unused/sold shrimp catches. This condition is in line with the plan to maximize the potential of fisheries while still considering the basic principles of sustainable management as has been pursued so far by WWF-Indonesia through the Fisheries Improvement Program (FIP). Finally, this activity is also used to increase the active role of women in protecting the resources of the Teo Enebekia Regional Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The training involved 31 participants who are members of the Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK) and fisherwomen from 3 districts in South Sorong, including 11 people from Wamargege Village of Konda District, 5 people from Konda Village of Konda District, 5 people from Mate Village of Inanwatan District, 5 people from Solta Baru Village of Inanwatan District, and 5 from Sayolo Village of Teminabuan District.
This training activity was also supported by the West Papua Province Marine and Fisheries Service (DKP), University of Papua (Unipa) academics as presenters and training instructors, and the South Sorong District Fisheries Service as organizer and facilitator of the activity. The Head of South Sorong Fisheries Service, Ishak Meres, in his speech stated that it is important to hold fishery product processing training, especially the leftovers from the fishing industry, namely shrimp heads and shells. In addition to improving the community's economy, it also reduces the amount of shrimp heads and shells left in the environment. "So far, most of the shrimp sold are headless. The heads are automatically thrown into the sea, smelling and polluting the sea. Women need to be equipped with the knowledge to process these shrimp heads into packaging products with economic value," he said.
In the training, participants were given materials on how to produce processed food products from shrimp meat, heads, and shells using simple equipment. The material obtained was then practiced directly one by one until finally they succeeded in making various food products such as shrimp crackers, shrimp chili sauce, shrimp broth powder, and shrimp burger meat. To produce 2 bags of 250 grams of shrimp meat crackers, the participants had to process 2 kg of shrimp meat while to produce 1 small glass of shrimp paste requires about 200 grams of shrimp heads and shells.
In addition to making preparations, participants were also introduced to unique and attractive forms of product packaging to add to the aesthetic value of the product. Various packaging models and logos are not only attractive but also serve as the identity of a product. However, the obstacle encountered in the village so far is limited capital. "If you want to make a shrimp processing business, you need capital to buy the tools and materials," said Agustina Omeggang, one of the training participants from Wamargege Village.
Augustina also hopes that the village head can allocate some funds for the PKK group so that they can become entrepreneurs. "This training activity is expected not to be like throwing salt into the sea, because so far the community has been involved in training, but only limited to that without any follow-up" she added. WWF-Indonesia in collaboration with the Fisheries Service of South Sorong Regency and the Initiation Team of the Marine Protected Area of Teo Enebikia River, South Sorong Regency are trying to provide assistance to the training participants. So far, several Joint Business Groups (KUBE) have been formed, group documents completed and group legalization. This includes working with the village government to access training capital sources through existing Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDES) and village community empowerment funds to accommodate KUBE self-training.
WWF-Indonesia targets that by January 2020, it will conduct a series of training on product processing and marketing, such as conducting laboratory tests, namely the proximate test which aims to determine the quality of the products produced whether they are good for consumption or not, registering PIRT (Pangan Industri Rumah Tangga), which is one of the food health certifications at the household level, so that fishery product groups can market their products at the local level.