Revealed! The Reason Prabowo is Building a Giant Shrimp Farm in Waingapu

The government is preparing the construction of a modern, large-scale shrimp farm in Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), as a strategy to maintain the competitiveness of Indonesian fisheries exports. The project, a direct assignment from President Prabowo Subianto, is not solely about increasing production but also ensuring the national shrimp supply remains stable to meet global market demands. Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated that the development is part of an effort to address fundamental weaknesses in the national shrimp farming sector. “We know exactly where our weaknesses lie and what we need to improve. That is why we are undertaking several major projects assigned by the President, as he wants something that is large-scale,” Trenggono said during the CNBC Indonesia Economic Update 2026. He noted that Indonesia has significant potential as a global shrimp producer, with current national production reaching approximately 400,000 tonnes per year from a pond area of around 247,800 hectares. However, productivity remains low at just 0.6, as the majority of farms are still managed traditionally. The government is therefore building a modern farming model to serve as a benchmark for improving the productivity of community-owned ponds. Trenggono emphasised that production stability is a prerequisite for Indonesian shrimp products to sustainably meet the needs of the global industry, which requires consistent quantity, uniform quality standards, and reliable delivery times. He added that current production instability is often caused by inconsistent handling and farming methods, leading to issues such as disease outbreaks, which must be corrected first.