Visiting the Salor Merauke Transmigration Area, the Minister of Transmigration Supports IPB University’s Patriot Expedition Team Program
IPB University’s Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) is providing assistance to the community and YANBUI micro, small, and medium- ized enterprises (MSMEs) in Malind District, Merauke, South Papua. The assistance focused on diversifying processed fish products, ranging from fish floss, fish nuggets, to fish sambal.
Dr Roza Yusfiandayani, Chair of TEP 14 at IPB University, explained that until now, most of the fish catch has been sold by fishermen as a source of income. Meanwhile, fish that are not absorbed by the market or have not been optimally utilized present an opportunity to be processed into products with higher economic value while simultaneously reducing potential waste.
“We are here to provide training and guidance to local SMEs from Malind District, specifically the YANBUI SME so they can diversify their fish products, such as fish floss, fish nuggets, and fish sambal,” she said.
Through this training, the community is expected to gain the skills to harness the potential of the fisheries sector through product diversification. The development of these processed products is aimed at increasing added value while creating sustainable business opportunities for the community.
The guidance provided by TEP 14 does not focus solely on the processing phase. The team also assists with obtaining a Home Industry Food Permit (P-IRT) so that the resulting products can be marketed as local specialties and souvenirs from Merauke.
This program is part of IPB University’s TEP 14 assistance to the communities of Malind District, covering the entire value chain from upstream to downstream in the areas of capture fisheries and processed product diversification.
Message from the Minister of Transmigration
These efforts to develop local potential align with the direction of transmigration area development, which prioritizes community resources and economic potential as the starting point for development.
During a working visit to Domande Village, Malind District, Minister of Transmigration (Mentrans) Iftitah Sulaiman emphasized that current transmigration development must begin by assessing local economic potential.
“In the past, the approach was ‘just relocate the people first, then assess the economic potential,’ but today’s transmigration is ‘first identify the economic potential, then proceed with the resettlement of the people’,’” said Iftitah during a working visit to inaugurate new housing for transmigrant residents of Domande Village.
In this context, the presence of the Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) is part of a collaborative effort to help the community explore and develop its potential. The development of processed fish products in partnership with local MSMEs is one example of how available resources can be transformed into value added products.
Through this support, the IPB University Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) is expected to help strengthen community skills, open up business opportunities, and foster the formation of a more sustainable local economic ecosystem. (*/Rz) (IAAS/SSR).
