Indonesia Launches ASEAN's First Radioactive Testing Lab for Marine Products

The government, through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), has inaugurated the operational laboratory for testing radioactive contamination in marine commodities at the Centre for Standard Testing, Quality Control, and Safety of Fishery Products (BUSPM) in Cipayung, East Jakarta. Ishartini, Acting Head of the KKP’s Agency for Quality Control and Supervision of Marine and Fishery Products, stated that this is the first fishery product radioactive testing laboratory in Southeast Asia, forming part of a quality testing lab with a scope that includes Cesium-137. This laboratory complements the existing quality testing facilities, ensuring safety and quality standards that ultimately enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian fishery products in export markets. Currently, the lab is used for shrimp commodities destined for the United States, but the KKP has confirmed that the laboratory can expand its testing scope to other commodities. The facility and its certification for Cs-137-free quality testing have been welcomed by one million shrimp farmers and entrepreneurs, providing certainty regarding the safety of shrimp to be exported to the US. The KKP noted that the volume of Indonesian shrimp exports following the discovery of Cs-137 cases has reached 4,421 containers, equivalent to 64,160 tonnes valued at Rp 10.85 trillion, which have successfully entered the US through Cs-137-free certification.