Cheerful Campaign: Let’s Eat Fish Thursday, December 04, 2014
Some five thousand graduates of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and people flocked to the streets, campaigning the Movement of Let’s Eat Fish (AKMI), wrapped into Walk and Fun Bike (JSS), 30/11. This even was going very lively in the East Parking of Senayan, Jakarta. JSS is part of Let’s Eat Fish campaign in commemoration of the first National Fish Day (Harkannas). It was earlier introduced with various events to enliven the campaign, including Street Campaign, Early Childhood Education (ECD) of Eating Fish, the Archipelago’s Fishing Festival, and Fish Culinary Festival. Chairman of the Alumni Association (HA) IPB, Ir. Bambang Hendroyono said, "This eating fish campaign is organized to encourage the improvement of public nutrition and intelligence (IQ) nationally. The campaign raises the theme "Fish for Intelligence". This is intended that by eating fish from an early the younger generation will become intelligent, healthy, and dynamic generation".
On this occasion, the peak of the first National Fish Day was also staged with the theme "Fish, the National Resources of Food and Nutrition Security". Ir. Bambang Hendroyono in his speech said, "This theme is taken with the reason that food and nutrition is a strategic issue, a challenge of the nation. The fact shows that many Indonesian people are still facing the problem of food shortages and malnutrition. Therefore, the fish, as food easily produced, highly nutritious, available throughout the year, and scattering throughout the archipelago, would be a solution to the food problem, hence available and affordable for the general public".
IPB Rector, Prof. Dr Ir. Herry Suhardiyanto, M.Sc said, "On behalf of IPB, I would like to express our thanks and highest appreciation to Minister and staff of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) of the Republic of Indonesia, who has given support and ample opportunity to the IPB Alumni Association and IPB in particular to jointly campaign the eating fish movement.”There are many obstacles to the development of fisheries, marine, and a food production system, so we need breakthroughs. "IPB, with its analytical and scientific capacity as well as the truth that we always uphold, is ready to support all the breakthroughs by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. A bold breakthrough, building sustainable and equitable fish production system to ensure equal distribution in the community," added Rector.
Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries RI, Susi Pudjiastuti said, "This national fish day is to recall and reawaken that two thirds of our country is sea territory. The fish consumption of Indonesian people should be greater than that of other countries. Fish is a very useful source of protein for the human resources in Indonesia. The promotion of fish eating is to make Indonesian people healthier, more intelligent and able to compete in the global market ". To preserve this nation’s protein source, Susi Pudjiastuti urges people to fight together the illegal fishing in Indonesia. "No more illegal fishing!" she exclaimed.
In order for this eating fish movement to keep going, IPB Alumni Association in collaboration with the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) IPB has prepared a roadmap to guide us to continuously campaign this. Committee Chairman of Let’s Eat Fish Movement Dr. Ir. Tjipta Purwita, MBA said, "IPB Alumni Association and FPIK realize that the agenda to promote the eating fish culture among the people is not easy to do because of various obstacles such as appetite, supply, and culture. For these reasons, the campaign Let’s Eat Fish will be structured with massive use of the roadmap as a strategy to overcome these obstacles".
Dean of FPIK IPB, Prof. Dr Ir. Indra Jaya, M.Sc said that the roadmap is a medium-term strategy of 2015-2019, involving various stakeholders, including government, private industries and academia. IPB Alumni Association will make effort that within the next five years it will produce something useful to the nation and the state. "An important result in the next five years is to establish fishermen as important actors of improving the intelligence of younger generation and children, fish trade fair system, synergy between industries, fish consumption in the community, national intelligence," added Prof. Dr Indra Jaya. This roadmap is formulated into three main pillars, namely the increasing national IQ of Indonesia, established culture of eating fish in the community, and developed fishing industry in Indonesia.
"The campaign of Let’s Eat Fish is introduced in collaboration of Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries along with its partners: IPB, FPIK-IPB, and the local government of Bogor municipality", said Dr Ir. Tjipta Purwita, MBA. As part of the National Fish Day, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Association of Indonesian Food Catering (APJI), Fisheries College (STP), supported by the Partner Organization of Fish Consumption Improvement also breaks the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) in the form of "250 Fish Dishes with the Archipelago Seasoning" and "The Greatest Number of Ornamental Betta Fish Keepers on Campus". As a form of gratitude, in this event there was also a slicing of giant cone rice made with fish from the waters of Indonesia. (Mtd)
