Jumadi, Bringing Hope to Outermost Islanders
As a soldier in the Navy, Jumadi guiding local people in seaweed cultivation is one aspect of his duty to develop the island’s maritime potential. Yet his main duty is to safeguard state sovereignty and border security.
Jumadi
From under a bridge, Jumadi, 45, was inspecting sacks of dry seaweed being lifted by a crane one-by-one onto an inter-island ship on Lirang Island, Southwest Maluku regency, Maluku. The commodity owned by residents of the outermost island is the fruit of Jumadi’s empowerment effort over the last several years.
From Lirang Island bordering Timor Leste, seaweed is shipped to Kupang city, East Nusa Tenggara, which takes about 24 hours’ sail. In Kupang, collecting traders are waiting to buy the product at Rp 30,000 (US$1.97) per kilogram. This is the highest seaweed price ever enjoyed by the islanders.