January 19, 2007

Indonesia earns US$2.1 billion from aquaculture exports

Indonesia was estimated to earn a total of US$2.1 billion from the export of aquaculture products last year, a Fishery and Marine Resources Ministry official said on Tuesday (16 Jan)

From January to August 2006, the export of aquaculture products reached 664.5 million tonnes worth US$1.4 billion, Aquaculture Director General Made L Nurjana said.

Shrimp exports were the main foreign exchange earner in 2006, he said. During the January-August 2006 period, Indonesia exported 112.5 million tonnes of shrimp with a total value of US$739.2 million.

The country also exported tuna fish with a total volume of 58,633 tonnes worth US$168.72 million.

The top market for Indonesian aquaculture products was the US, which bought 83,347 tonnes, or about 12.54 percent of Indonesia's total aquaculture exports last year.

China follows a close second at 78,686 tonnes, or 11.84 percent. Japan accounted for 11.28 percent of exports while the EU 7.82 percent.