East Kalimantan Exports Hundreds of Tonnes of Tiger Prawns to Global Markets

Samarinda (ANTARA) - East Kalimantan Province has exported hundreds of tonnes of tiger prawns to various countries in the global market during the period of January to May 2026.

“Tiger prawns are the dominant commodity, with an export volume reaching 769.9 tonnes over the last five months of 2026, valued at Rp173.3 billion,” said Irma Listiawati, Head of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Product Competitiveness Division at the East Kalimantan Marine and Fisheries Office (DKP), in Samarinda on Tuesday.

Irma added that besides tiger prawns, there are four other leading fishery commodities supporting the province’s maritime export value. These mainstay export commodities include pink prawns, fresh grouper, fresh white pomfret, and white prawns.

“The total shipment of pink prawns reached 239.9 tonnes, with an economic value of Rp31.6 billion,” Irma stated.

“Stable demand in the international market is also evident for fresh white pomfret, with a recorded export volume of 59.7 tonnes worth Rp6.7 billion,” she added.

White prawns rounded out the top five export commodities with shipments totalling 27.7 tonnes, generating revenue of Rp4.7 billion.

Irma revealed that these high-quality marine products are routinely distributed to 12 main export destination countries in the international market.

“To accelerate the distribution of fresh commodities, there is a direct export flight facility from Balikpapan to Wenzhou, China,” Irma disclosed.

This direct call shipment utilises Cargo Rimbun aircraft, which operate regularly twice a week.

“This fast air cargo delivery is specifically for superior products that must be shipped fresh, such as eels, crabs, and fresh fish,” Irma said.