Prabowo Reveals Special Affinity with Kebumen, His Father Was Born There

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto said he has a special affinity with Kebumen Regency in Central Java, noting that his father, Soemitro Djojohadikoesoemo, was born in the area. ‘Kebumen has a special connection for me, because my late father was born in Kebumen,’ Prabowo said at a shrimp harvest event at Kebumen-based Tambak Budidaya Udang Berbasis Kawasan Kebumen (Kebumen-based integrated shrimp farming ponds), which was watched online from Jakarta on Saturday. The president also nostalgically recalled that Kebumen previously had a sugar factory that has since been converted into a hotel. He highlighted the significant potential of the 100-hectare shrimp pond, stating that each hectare can yield 40 tonnes of shrimp per harvest cycle, with built-up land reaching 65 ha and the effective pond area used at 24 ha. Moreover, Prabowo praised the pond for employing 650 workers from the surrounding area. He said the government is building several seafood commodity production zones, including an integrated shrimp farm in Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara, and fish ponds in West Java. This step is being taken not only for economic interests but also to ensure the community’s seafood commodity needs can be reliably met. ‘From now on we will add, we will build productive projects that produce protein for our people and for export to earn foreign exchange,’ Prabowo said. During the event, the President was accompanied by several members of the Red and White Cabinet, including Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Minister Secretary to the State Prasetyo Hadi, Head of the State-Owned Enterprises Regulation Agency and Chief Operating Officer of Danantara Dony Oskaria, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. (Ant)