With tourists gone, Balinese locals turn to seaweed farming

Tourist-less Bali's seaweed farming lifeline

Location: Lembongan island

I Gede Darma Putra used to be a dive master

He has had to return to seaweed farming

after foreign tourists were barred from entering Bali

(SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) SEAWEED FARMER WHO FORMERLY WORKED AS A DIVE MASTER, 43-YEAR-OLD, I GEDE DARMA PUTRA, SAYING:

"What to do? I feel sad because we lost our job and now we have to start from scratch, like it or not we have to start again due to the situation."

Indonesia is the world's second biggest seaweed producer

It's dried, processed, and exported

and used in food additives and cosmetics

It's hard work with low returns

(SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) SEAWEED FARMER WHO FORMERLY WORKED AS A DIVE MASTER, 43-YEAR-OLD, I GEDE DARMA PUTRA, SAYING:

"I'm optimistic that I can survive with the seaweed business. Once tourism returns, I will go back to work in the tourism industry and my wife will stay at seaweed farming. After I'm done with work, I can help her."