Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs: President Pushes for Protein Self-Sufficiency via Aquaculture

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) said President Prabowo Subianto is pushing for the development of productive shrimp and fish farms to strengthen national protein self-sufficiency.

‘The harvested shrimp from these areas will first be directed to meet domestic needs as part of strengthening national protein self-sufficiency,’ Zulhas said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.

President Prabowo previously inspected the shrimp harvest at the Kawasan-Based Shrimp Farming Centre in Kebumen, Central Java, on Saturday 23 May.

During the event, the President observed the shrimp harvest and joined Zulhas and Marine and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono in pulling the nets.

The government has positioned this harvest as part of efforts to bolster public protein supply while opening export opportunities.

In addition to the Kebumen shrimp farm area, the President has also pushed for the development of shrimp farms in Waingapu covering 2,000 hectares and Gorontalo spanning 200 hectares.

The government is also preparing to develop fish farms along West Java’s northern coast spanning 14,000 hectares.

The shrimp farm in Tegal Retno village, Kebumen, covers 65 hectares with 206 ponds.

The area is managed by the Directorate General of Aquaculture’s Public Service Agency (BLU) under the Marine and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) and was built around three years ago.

Zulhas stated that each hectare of farm is targeted to produce around 40 tonnes of shrimp.

At a price of approximately Rp70,000 per kilogram, the area is expected to generate up to 960 tonnes per cycle or about 1,920 tonnes annually.

‘The farm’s production value reaches around Rp6.72 billion per cycle or Rp13.44 billion annually, employing approximately 650 local workers,’ he said.

According to KKP data, Indonesia’s seafood exports total $6.27 billion, with shrimp contributing around $1.87 billion or nearly 30% of total national fisheries exports.

The government views the aquaculture sector as a key pillar in strengthening food security while boosting foreign exchange earnings.

Following achievements in rice, corn, egg, chicken, and fish self-sufficiency, the government is directing the development of shrimp and fish farms to bolster protein self-sufficiency.

Zulhas assessed that strengthening protein self-sufficiency is necessary to support improved human resource quality, workforce productivity, children’s intelligence, and faster stunting reduction.