Jakarta, Feb. 2 -- President Prabowo Subianto pledged to distribute fishing vessels ranging from five to 30 gross tons to coastal communities, aiming to boost catches and enable longer voyages as part of a national push to modernize fishing villages.

The vessel distribution is part of the Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih program, which targets the modernization of 12 million fishing villages across Indonesia, according to Prabowo.

"One of our most strategic programs is Kampung Nelayan ," Prabowo said at a national coordination meeting in Bogor, West Java, on Monday. Each village will receive jetties, ice plants, cold storage and fishing boats.

Under the plan, villages will be allocated several 5-GT boats and, eventually, larger vessels of u...