One Million Shrimp Farmers Welcome Indonesia's Cs-137-Free Shrimp Certification

The government, through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, 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, the Acting Head of the Agency for Quality Control and Supervision of Marine and Fishery Products, stated that this is the first radioactive testing laboratory for fishery products in Southeast Asia, functioning as part of a quality testing laboratory with a scope covering radioactive materials, including Cesium-137. This laboratory complements the quality testing facilities to ensure safety and quality standards, ultimately enhancing the competitiveness of Indonesian fishery products in the export market. Currently, the lab is used for shrimp commodities destined for the United States, but the ministry confirms the laboratory can expand its testing scope to other commodities. The facility and the Cs-137-free quality testing certification have been welcomed by one million shrimp farmers and entrepreneurs, providing certainty regarding the safety of shrimp to be exported to the US. The ministry recorded that the number of Indonesian shrimp exports following the discovery of Cs-137 cases has reached 4,421 containers, equivalent to 64,160 tonnes worth Rp 10.85 trillion, which successfully entered the US through the Cs-137-free certification.