TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Karsam\u2019s lips began to mutter silently. His hands\nmoved quickly as he counted the rupiah he had just pulled from the sling\nbag across his chest. Every so often, the 53-year-old man directed his\nworkers as they sorted banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis), speckled\nprawns (Metapenaeus monoceros), and tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon).\nPrawn less than 10 centimeters long were separated from those measuring\nmore than 15 centimeters.<\/p>\n
That Monday morning, August 24, 2026, Karsam\u2019s front porch in\nSegarjaya village, Batujaya subdistrict, Karawang Regency, West Java,\nwas already crowded with shrimp farmers looking to sell their harvests.\nSome arrived carrying 5 kilograms of shrimp. Others brought as much as\n15 kilograms. Karsam bought the shrimp at prices ranging from Rp30,000\nto Rp100,000 (about US$1.69 to US$5.62) per kilogram, depending on the\nspecies and size. \u201cEvery day, at least 70 kilograms are transported to\nCilincing Market in North Jakarta,\u201d Karsam said.<\/p>\n
Besides being a collector, Karsam is also a shrimp farmer. His\nroughly 7 hectares of ponds are now stocked with shrimp and milkfish. At\neach harvest, he can get 300 kilograms of shrimp and 1.5 tons of\nmilkfish. The proceeds are more than enough to support his family.\n\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re worried about the pond revitalization plan,\u201d Karsam\nsaid. \u201cAll of our ponds will be affected,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The revitalization Karsam referred to is a program to upgrade and\nreorganize the management of traditional fish and shrimp farms. The\nMinistry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has set a target of covering\nabout 78,500 hectares of ponds along the northern coast, or pantura, of\nJava. In West Java, the revitalization program has been included on the\nlist of nationally strategic projects (PSNs), targeting ponds in the\nregencies of Bekasi, Karawang, Subang, and Indramayu.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/shrimp-farm-dispute-on-west-javas-northern-coast-1788324714", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }