Indonesian Sogili as Delicious as Japaneses' Taste

Kompas, Rabu, 17 Maret 2010 | 14:55 WIB

KOMPAS.com — Indonesia's fisheries and naval biodiversity are among the richest in the world. The unagi or sogili, usually called "sidat" by Indonesians , which is a favorite for Japanese cuisines, can also be found in abundance in Indonesian waters.

The brood of young sogili can survive in fresh and salt water and they are prized by Japanese fishery businessmen. For example, the marmorata sogili can cost up to Rp. 300,000 per kilogram.

Another type is the bicolor, which is worth about Rp. 150,000 per kilogram. The broods for this type can be found in abundance around the waters of Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java. Hitherto, people haven't been able to properly germinate sogili because the their fertilization must be done off shores, then the broods will swim up stream to an estuary.

At the estuary the sogili will grow to adulthood then have another fertilization. "Even Japan, with its sophisticated technology, hasn't been able to do the germination," stated Made Suita, Chief of the Fishing Weir Business Bureau, Karawang, Sunday.

Because of this reason, the cultivation of eels have been done naturally. Some areas with potentials with such a weir are the waters of Poso, Manado, south coast of Java especially around Pelabuhan Ratu, and the western coast of Sumatera.

But not all of them have yielded results, because according to Made, only the fishermen in Pelabuhan Ratu are capable of catching the broods of sogili. The Pelabuhan Ratu waters include an estuary and a bed that flow directly to the sea.

Nurdin, the chief for cultivation of the Fishing Weir Business Bureau, stated that the sogili broods have been commercialized. The fishermen know that a kilogram of eels worth Rp. 5,000 can be sold for Rp. 150,000. Most of the buyers are from Taiwan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

But some people arenn't aware of the value of these sogili broods. In Poso and Manado, the broods are usually fried into fritters. According to Nurdin, due to the people's ignorance, they treat the broods just like cheap salted fish.

Foreign countries are eyeing to purchase sogili broods. Domestic buyers only use the broods for cultivation in Karawang, Cirebon, and Indramayu. The trouble for the Indonesian cultivators is that they don't have direct access for export. The domestic market can't be counted on, because most consumers don't like sogili here, and they're expensive too.

"The breeding must also meet all the requirements if it's for export to Japan. This makes exporting sogili to Japan difficult," stated Nurdin. One alternative to penetrate the Japanese market is by cooperating with a Japanese company which has already been in the sogili market.

Breeding sogili is also relatively long, around three to four months. The sogili must be fed with high protein pellets which cost about Rp. 9,000 per kg. The sogilis also need shredded snails. The sogilis also need to be kept in high-oxygen water. The survival rate of sogilis is about 75 percent of the total brood. "If you want the details please come to the Fishing Weir Business Bureau in Karawang."

The Fishing Weir Business Bureau in Karawang is cooperating with a Japanese partner, Asama Industry Co. Ltd. Specifically, the foreign company is cooperating with PT Suri Tani Pemuka for breeding sogilis. The breeded sogilis can be exported directly to Japan thanks to their partner. Unfortunately Made can't reveal the exact numbers from the exports.

Made also pointed out that there should be many other potential partners from Taiwan, Korea, and China.

Japan, Vietnam and Korea have also tried to cultivate sogilis. So there is competition with other producers. However, the cultivation in Vietnam and Korea actually comes from Indonesian broods.

"The person trying to cultivate sogilis in Japan is actually an Indonesian." (Asnil Bambani Amri/Kontan/C17-09)