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

The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), has officially inaugurated the operational radioactive contamination testing laboratory for marine commodities at the Bureau of Quality Control Standards and Fisheries Product Safety (BUSPM) in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

Acting Head of the Bureau of Quality Control, Monitoring, and Supervision of Marine and Fisheries Products at KKP, Ishartini, stated that this is the first radioactive testing laboratory for fishery products in Southeast Asia. It serves as part of the quality testing laboratory network, with a scope that includes radioactive elements such as Cesium-137.

This laboratory complements existing quality testing facilities, ensuring safety and quality standards are met, which will ultimately increase the competitiveness of Indonesian fishery products in export markets. Currently, the laboratory is being utilised for shrimp commodities destined for the United States, though the KKP has ensured that the scope of testing can be expanded to other commodities in the future.

The facility and the certification for Cs-137-free quality testing have been welcomed by one million shrimp farmers and entrepreneurs, providing much-needed certainty regarding the safety of shrimp exported to the US.

KKP noted that following the discovery of Cs-137 cases, Indonesian shrimp exports have reached 4,421 containers, equivalent to 64,160 tonnes valued at Rp 10.85 trillion, which successfully entered the US market through Cs-137-free certification.