Indonesian Navy Promotes Coastal Communities' Self-Reliance Through Training in Seafood and Soybean Processing
The Indonesian Navy (TNI AL), through its Territorial Centre (Pusteral), has partnered with FKS Group to strengthen the self-reliance of coastal communities via training in seafood and soybean processing. The programme aims to enhance community skills, add value to local products, and create sustainable economic opportunities in coastal areas.
As a maritime nation, Indonesia boasts abundant marine resources. However, much of it is still marketed in raw form with limited added value. Meanwhile, soybean-based products face challenges in innovation and diversification. This situation highlights the importance of building processing capacity and product development to improve competitiveness and support national food security.
Pusteral Commander Rear Admiral A Agung Pryo Suseno emphasised that this community empowerment activity is part of TNI AL’s commitment to improving the welfare of coastal communities.
“The Indonesian Navy does not only focus on maritime territorial defence but is also committed to enhancing the welfare of coastal communities. Through this collaboration, we encourage communities to independently and sustainably process marine and soybean resources, thereby strengthening economic resilience as well as territorial resilience,” he stated, as quoted from an official release on Friday (10/4).
The programme is part of the 2026 Seafood Processing Socialisation as an implementation of maritime potential development (Binpotmar). Training was conducted at Lanal Cilacap on 7 April 2026 and continued at Lanal Tegal on 9 April 2026, involving more than 300 SME actors and coastal residents. The training covers theoretical and practical sessions, from cooking demonstrations and seafood processing techniques to developing soybean derivative products as alternative protein sources and new business opportunities.
The programme also supports stunting prevention efforts through education on nutritious food based on local ingredients. FKS Group’s VP of ESG, Beatrice Susanto, stated that this collaboration is part of the company’s ESG commitment to promote community economic empowerment through the FKS Empower programme.
“Through FKS Empower, we focus on strengthening SME capacity to create value-added and competitive products. Collaboration with TNI AL allows us to reach coastal communities more broadly with practical and impactful training,” she said.
FKS Group also encourages participants to continue innovating by maintaining quality, nutritional value, and product relevance to evolving market needs. One SME participant from Tegal shared that the training provided a new perspective on business development.
“So far, we have sold seafood simply, and tempeh only in the usual form. From this training, we now know how to make more varied products with higher selling value. This greatly helps us increase our income,” she said.
The programme is expected to drive local SME growth and strengthen the sustainable coastal economic ecosystem. In closing, Rear Admiral A Agung expressed appreciation for the collaboration.
“We appreciate the strategic collaboration with FKS Group in promoting coastal community empowerment. This synergy is a concrete step in strengthening food security and national economic independence, and it is hoped that it can be expanded to various regions,” stated Rear Admiral A Agung.