Mimika Regency Promotes Mangrove Crab Farming for Sustainable Exports

Timika - The Government of Mimika Regency, Central Papua is promoting the development of mangrove crab farming in the area to maintain the sustainability of mangrove crab exports, which currently have high demand in several countries. Mimika Regent Johannes Rettob said on Saturday in Timika that current exports of crabs beyond Mimika and to several countries still rely on community catches. ‘We in Mimika depend on catches. If catches can’t guarantee the sustainability and continuity of exports,’ he said. As an exporting region, commodity availability is crucial when demand for shipments outside the region rises, so the most appropriate solution is to ensure the availability of fisheries commodities, especially farmed crabs. ‘Currently, we have orders from China, Malaysia, and Singapore. So we must ensure our fisheries commodities are always available, so farming processes must be carried out immediately,’ he said. ‘Last year we started in Kekwa but it didn’t run optimally, perhaps due to lack of guidance or something? We will look for new patterns to ensure farming runs optimally,’ he said. Several high-value fisheries commodities in Mimika include mangrove crabs, shrimp, and fish. Mimika Customs Office recorded exports of mangrove crabs (karaka) from Mimika Regency, Central Papua to Malaysia and Singapore from January to May 2026 reaching 16.9 tonnes.