Pearl Production to Increase and Improve in Indonesia

Pearl Production to Increase and Improve in Indonesia

The government is looking to increase pearl production and quality through a new Indonesian National Standards (SNI) code.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said on Thursday that the government expected to produce 12 tons of pearls in 2012, half of the national potential.

“We produced 7 tons of pearls this year, 5.7 tons last year,” he said after opening a five-day pearl festival at Grand Indonesia Mall in Jakarta.

He added that an SNI code on pearls issued in April would accompany the production target, as it ensured pearl surface quality.

The SNI code on pearls outlines grades A, B and C. Grade A pearls are “very good”, with bumps covering no more than 10 percent of the surface. Grade B is “good”, with bumps on up to 30 percent of the surface. Grade C is “fair”, with bumps on up to 60 percent of the surface and scratches on less than 30 percent.

Indonesia currently produces South Sea pearls (SSP), the largest and most valuable cultured pearl. Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of SSPs, with locations in the Eastern regions such as Maluku and East and West Nusa Tenggara.

The ministry’s director general for fishery product processing and marketing, Victor P.H. Nikijuluw, said the government would enact the code soon with a ministerial decree.

“We hope the decree will be signed in the next two weeks. By that time, the SNI will be mandatory and all pearl producers and exporters must follow it,” he said.

Victor said that applying the SNI code on pearls might allow export expansion with a higher value in the future, because the SNI code followed international standards and was internationally recognized.

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