To Expand Market Access, Government Targets Fishermen's Exchange Rate to Reach 120

The government is accelerating the construction of 5,000 Red and White Fishermen’s Villages (Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih, KNMP) by 2029. The move is part of efforts to improve the welfare of coastal communities.

Beyond this, the government is targeting the Fishermen’s Exchange Rate (Nilai Tukar Nelayan, NTN) to reach 120 by 2027, while also expanding market access for fishermen’s produce.

Zulhas stressed that improving fishermen’s welfare must go hand in hand with strengthening production and opening up market access. He said this would accelerate poverty alleviation among fishing communities.

“Next year the President is targeting the fishermen’s exchange rate to reach 120. We will also open up wider market access. That way, fishermen’s welfare improves and we can accelerate poverty alleviation,” Zulhas said in a written statement on Tuesday (15/9/2026).

He made the remarks as Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan at a Limited Coordination Meeting on the Construction and Operationalisation of KNMP and Thematic Inland Fish Farming in Jakarta on Tuesday (15/9).

Zulhas said that under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, the sea has been made the front yard of national development. The development of the marine and fisheries sector is directed not only at increasing production, but also at strengthening fishermen’s welfare and the economies of coastal communities.

“Now, under President Prabowo’s government, we make the sea our front yard. That is why the development of the marine and fisheries sector is a priority, including the construction of 5,000 Red and White Fishermen’s Villages by 2029,” Zulhas said.

To date, 65 KNMP sites have been built and are operational. Construction of the second phase at 35 sites has reached 85.6 per cent progress as of 2 September 2026, with nine sites 100 per cent complete and the remaining 26 sites targeted for completion in September 2026.

Specifically for 2026, the government is targeting the construction of KNMP at 1,269 locations. Physical construction has begun at 1,090 sites, while another 179 sites are still in the pre-construction stage and contracting process.

According to him, the KNMP programme is part of a shift in the orientation of national development that places the sea and coastal communities as one of the main strengths of the Indonesian economy.

“All this time we have turned our back on the sea. As a result, our fishermen have been left behind and many remain in the first decile. If our fishermen are weak, we will also be unable to control our own seas,” Zulhas said.

The KNMP programme is designed not merely as infrastructure development, but as an effort to build an integrated coastal economic ecosystem, from production and processing to the marketing of fisheries produce. The government has issued Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2026 to strengthen synergy between central and regional governments in its implementation.