Indonesia's small-scale fishermen in disadvantaged regions will in the future be able to sell their products nationwide with the help of seamless refrigeration chains. This is being made possible by a solar-powered machine for the production of ice blocks. This innovative type of unit was developed as part of a multi-year German-Indonesian cooperation arrangement. “The fish is prevented from spoiling, with the ice being produced on a totally climate-neutral basis,” says Frank Stegmüller of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). “This is a genuine German-Indonesian success story.”
Indonesia is the world's leading tuna producing nation and the second-largest fish producer overall. However, small-scale fishermen who practice environmentally sound fishing methods are often unable to transport their fish to consumers due to a lack of refrigeration facilities. As a result, these fishermen find it virtually impossible to compete with industrial fishing; much of their catch is spoiled, causing poverty amongst the fishermen.
Indonesia's policy aims to conserve fish stocks and secure the income of fishermen in remote areas. The key factor in achieving this is to keep the catch continuously refrigerated. The GIZ initiated and provided support for the development of a solar-powered ice-making machine. Together with a number of Indonesian, German and other European companies, the production of these machines was also established in Indonesia. Development began in 2016 and the pilot plant started up successfully in 2018 – the first commercial unit will go into operation in Indonesia in 2020.
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