CHILLING PROBLEM FOR FISHING INDUSTRY
There are three ice factories in Blang Pidie that were fortunately spared by the tsunami, producing between 30,000 to 40,000 kilograms of ice per day in total. The ice is sold in 25 or 30-kg rectangular blocks at 6,500 rupiah per block, and is made of non-potable water frozen over a 20-hour period. Each block is then covered with sawdust and transported in a canvas-covered lorry back to the city of Meulaboh, where the blocks are broken up with a wooden stick into uneven chunks. The fishermen and fishmongers' produce are then buried between the layers of ice.
However, getting the ice is not easy - Meulaboh is not the only place inflicted with ice shortage. Because the fishermen and fishmongers are not local, they do not get priority for getting the ice and they often have to wait up to six hours just for their turn to buy the ice, Buyung said. Sometimes if the local demand is high and the factory runs out of stock, they may even have to travel further down to Tapak Tuan - another hour's drive away. The two accidental ice-mongers have also frequently returned empty handed, which translates to 50,000 rupiah in fuel costs down the drain. In fact, Buyung admits he is fast running out of funds to support his business.
Even if things go smoothly, Buyung and Rudi each import only 3,000 kilograms of ice everyday - a grossly inadequate amount for one of the biggest fishing industries and the main fishery transit city in the west coast of Aceh. Before the tsunami, Meulaboh required 9,000 to 15,000 kilograms of ice per day. The fishermen and fishmongers often have to resort to expensive domestically frozen ice, usually sold at 1,000 rupiah in small bags to eating establishments and homes.
In the meantime, Liang Buo Long, 56, who used to own one of the Meulaboh ice factories, is the only one attempting to rebuild his factory. He has managed to scrape together 700 million rupiah borrowing from friends and the bank, but it is still a far cry from the 3 billion rupiah he said he will need to return the factory to working condition. Because it is a private enterprise, Liang cannot ask for financial aid from relief agencies.
And most of the fishermen and fishmongers said they are getting tired of waiting. Most of the projects taken on by the foreign NGOs involve education and the building of boats. Plans for other facilities like storehouses and piers on the other hand have been given less priority, when in fact, the fishery industry needs more than boats to get back on its feet.
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