Tanjung Pandan, March 27th 2021.PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) continues to expand the introduction of Laut Nusantara application to the fishing communities in various parts of Indonesian waters. In conjunction with the implementation of the 2021 Advanced Fisherman Village (Kampung Nelayan Maju) event which was initiated by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) of the Republic of Indonesia in Belitung, March 26th , 2021, XL Axiata also introduced the latest version of the Laut Nusantara digital application which can show the location of the fish in the sea, which will facilitate the work of fishermen. In addition, the use of digital marketing tools was also introduced to increase sales of processed marine products produced by fishing communities. The Minister of KKP, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono attended the event which took place in Suak Gual Village, Selat Nasik District, Belitung Regency.
Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said, "Digital technology offers us the opportunity to find solutions to various problems faced by the community, including fishermen. It is very ironic to see that the life of the fishing community on average is still not prosperous even though our marine wealth is abundant. Surely, there are many factors that affect the economic life of fishermen, and I appreciate the innovation of BROL and its partners who have provided solutions that can make fishermen improve their welfare through the Laut Nusantara application. "
The Laut Nusantara application, which has been introduced since 2018, has been actively utilized by no less than 52 thousand traditional and small fishermen in various regions and disseminated in 28 regions in Indonesia. With the accurate and real time data sourced from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Research and Observation Center (BROL), the application is proven to be able to increase the productivity of its fishermen.
“The Laut Nusantara application is the result of a solid collaboration between XL Axiata and BROL, in which both parties have great motivation to participate in finding solutions so that the quality of life of the Indonesian fishing community can improve. If it is easier for fishermen to catch fish, their productivity will increase. In turn, income also increases, which in turn can improve the quality of life for his family and the quality of the environment,”said Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of XL Axiata, Marwan O Baasir.
The presence of this application is intended as a driving force for the transformation of fishermen culture from "fishing" to "catching fish" through the use of information technology. In just one touch of the application, fishermen can plan their fishing activities better, start independently determining the closest fishing location, estimate fuel needs, and estimate the selling price, taking into account weather and wave conditions while working at sea.
"This combines satellite data. We integrate all observation and modeling data so that it is real time, every day we update the data. Apart from these, we also try to combine them with various facilities, "said the Head of the BRSDM Marine Research Center, I Nyoman Radiarta.
The introduction of the latest version of the Laut Nusantara application in Belitung is considered very necessary because it is equipped with a feature to identify fish species, making it easier for fishermen to better plan their work and sales of catch fish. On the one hand, the catch of small and traditional fishermen has not been optimal yet, on the other hand, the potential for marine products is quite large. Through the monitor in the Laut Nusantara application, it can be seen many fish gathering points in the waters of Bangka Belitung. This application can also detect fish by type, especially fish with high economic value such as Skipjack (Cakalang), Wide-eyed Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Bluefin Tuna and Albacore. This means that by utilizing digital technology, Indonesian fishermen hope to increase their catch and income at the same time.
The production of fish caught in Belitung is 2 tons throughout 2019. The fish caught by local fishermen are quite diverse, including Kerapu. Tengiri, Sharks, Red Snapper, Yellow tail, squid, Pisang-Pisang, and shrimp. So far, the traditional fishermen of this area still use traditional methods in estimating where the fish are. Likewise, taking into account the weather at sea. Meanwhile, in the Laut Nusantara application, there are features that provide real data about the weather, such as wind speed and wave height. In fact, fishermen can also take into account the availability of fuel, as well as the chat feature with fellow fishermen who use the application.
Education of digital marketing
Suak Gual Village, which is one of the villages in the 2021 Advanced Fisherman Village (Kampung Nelayan Maju) program, is precisely located on Mendanau Island. From the capital of Belitung Regency, Tanjung Pandan, in order to go to the village, it is necessary to use two types of transportation, namely land transportation and ship. As a village with the majority of the population working as fishermen, the village is quite clean, tidy and beautiful. In fact, there have been attempts to attract outsiders to visit there by painting the houses along the coast with colors.
Apart from the fresh caught fish, the residents of the village also produce a number of processed fish, such as shredded meat, meatballs, crackers, and sambal Lingko. There are about 50 residents who become craftsmen of the food. In order to improve their marketing capabilities, XL Axiata, through the Sisternet program, also provides training on the use of digital tools such as to support their businesses, such as using the internet, creating social media accounts, and using e-commerce to sale their products. So far, their products are still marketed around the area of Belitung Regency, at most only reaching Tanjung Pandan.
In addition to digital marketing, entrepreneurship training is also provided to them. To be precise, they received training in managing small businesses, including managing good finances. In order to provide easy internet access, XL Axiata provides five routers that can be used together. The quality of the 4G XL Axiata network in Suak Gual Village is very good, so that it can be maximally utilized by villagers for various productive purposes.