Walnut Crabs Must Be A Papua Export Commodity

Walnut Crabs Must Be A Papua Export Commodity

Canary Crab Breeding which is a business of Mansinam Island community groups is a program of the Department of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Manokwari Regency as an effort to improve the economy of the local community.

Manokwari Regency Head of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Alberth Simatupang, said the canary crab breeding was intended to protect the habitat and canary crabs from extinction.

"If we don't make captivity, these canary crabs will become extinct," Simatupang said.

Simatupang explained that captivity was managed by the community group of Kampung Mansinam himself. Even now the local community has marketed the crabs.

"This canary crab breeding has been running for one year and has been marketed. For marketing itself, the agency has not yet conducted an assessment because it is still in the testing phase," he said.

The market itself is more in demand by the Chinese. Even one walnut crab costs Rp 200 thousand, said Simatupang.

According to a survey from the office, it turns out that the most widely and potentially only walnut crabs on Mansinam Island. This means that canary crab habitat only exists on Mansinam Island. He added, if in the future the potential for walnut crabs is getting higher to improve the economy of the people of Mansinam Island, his party will conduct development.

"So now it is still a trial phase in the short and long term, so we evaluate each year from the results of its production" Simatupang added.

Meanwhile, Member of Commission C of the Manokwari DPRD, Orpa Tandiseno, appreciated the canary crab breeding programmed in the middle of Mansinam Island community.

According to Orpa, the program is to cultivate walnut crabs to improve the economy of the local community. Therefore, the maintenance of walnut crabs should receive serious attention from the government.

In addition, Orpa suggested to the relevant agencies to explore other locations in Manokwari Regency to see the potential of the canary crabs.

"Moreover, its usefulness is immediately felt by the community, especially the indigenous people of Papua. This is on the island so it is very useful for the community," he said.

From the other side, Tandiseno saw that besides walnut crabs, tourism in that location could also be developed, so that in addition to traveling people who came could also learn how to develop crabs.