Public Relation USUs - Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) signed a cooperation document with the Fish Quarantine Agency, Quality Control and Fishery Product Safety (BKIPM). In this activity there was also a public lecture which was held in the Senate Room of USU Central Administration Bureau Building, Tuesday (12/06/2022).

USU Rector Dr. Muryanto Amin., S.SOS., M.Sc said that the collaboration that will be carried out by USU with BKIPM will take the form of research and community service. The technical implementation of the cooperation program will still be discussed.

"This is common in research and community service. Later we will discuss the technical program specifically," Muryanto Amin mentioned.

In addition, as a form of this collaboration, USU students can take advantage of the BKIPM laboratory which was recently renovated and inaugurated by the Head of BKIPM Dr. Ir. Pamuji Lestari, M.Sc.

"Students can go there, we can talk about special topics that can engage collaboration with other campuses," he said.

BKIPM itself is one of the echelon 1 work units of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) which has the main function of controlling fish resource raw materials, then preventing circulation in and out of Indonesia, and guaranteeing food raw materials so that they are safe for consumption by the public.

In terms of developing lab results, BKIPM cooperates with educational institutions which in this case collaborate with USU. Dr. Ir. Pamuji Lestari, M.Sc said that BKIPM does not only work to meet the needs of the institution but also establishes communication with the world of education.

“We also have cooperation with other universities. When we were developing our lab results, from UPI friends from fish processing, from fish farming there we had to do an analysis of whether the raw materials were healthy, of good quality, safe for public consumption. So it is important for the academic world then also many of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences have a lot of marine resources that must be developed,” the Head of BKIPM explained.

According to the Head of BKIPM, the role of the academic world is urgently needed in this regard, especially for the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences which is considered very suitable to derive biotechnology, biomolecular sciences, and so on which can be implemented in private units or UKM.

“For example, there are many derivatives of seaweed. Health cosmetics, food, so friends from MIPA are very suitable to derive biotechnology, biomolecular sciences. Because for us it is not enough to actually export raw materials but these raw materials to be processed and then exported and the price is definitely higher," he added. (©ULC)

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Humas

Interviewee: - - -

Photographer: Irsan Mulyadi - Humas