July 2012, Nurhayati Kalurung was an everyday housewife in the Wetabua Sub-district of Alor in Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara Timur province. However, her big dreams and determination to build a better life made her well known in her neighborhood.

Nurhayati had worked as a civil servant with two children. Sometimes her civil servant salary wasn't enough to pay for the family's needs and the children's school fees; her husband's income as a longshoreman helped support the family. Mama Nurhayati realized that there were many fish in the area and that she could harness the potential of this resource to improve the situation of her family and others in the community.

In 2001, she formed the Sartika Fish Processors Group to produce fish balls. "I had the intention that all the women in my neighborhood could participate in my production process and make some money," said Mama Nurhayati. There were six women members in the group. Two were fish traders who provided cheap fish for the raw ingredients, while also acting as a marketing channel. A room in Nurahayati's house functioned as a 'small factory', where the members gathered to carry out the production process.

Nurhayati's group came to the attention of FAO's Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (RFLP) in 2011. RFLP's strategy was to enhance and add value to the production of small groups processing fisheries products, and to boost incomes of producer groups in coastal communities, while giving them confidence to develop their own products.

The group received both training and basic tools from RFLP including a freezer, stove, blender, basins and a dustbin. They were taught better hygienic production techniques, and to make two new products, jerked and shredded fish (abon ikan). RFLP also introduced improved packaging for the shredded fish products. Subsequently the products were registered and officially acknowledged by the Provincial Indonesian Food and Drug Control Agency (BPPOM).

The products were sold in Alor area, using a consignment method. Items were placed in offices, small shops and stalls and the group was paid at the end of the month for what was sold. They weren't sold outside Alor, since it was already hard for them to fulfill local customer demands. "I used to make around Rp. 1,500,000 a month but after receiving RFLP's training and tools I now can earn more than Rp 2,000,000 in a month," said Mama Nurhayati.

All products were priced at Rp. 20,000 and the group sold approximately 100 per month. This gave them a profit of around Rp 270,000. After deducting money for the next production run, the profit was divided amongst the group. It was mainly used for daily needs of the children such as transport to and from school.

"I'm very glad that now the women in my neighborhood gossip less and are able to be more productive. The family burden has been reduced, since they can contribute to family income, together with their husbands," she said. Last but not least, Mama Nurhayati expressed her hope for the future. "I hope that we can have a separate place for the production process. I dream about establishing a 'Rumah Pangan Lokal' (Local Food Centre), so everyone can buy our products and then send as gifts outside Alor Island".

Published: March, 2016
Project: Regional Fisheries Livelihood Programme for South and Southeast Asia (GCP/RAS/237/SPA)