December 9, 2010

Indonesia plans to become world's biggest shrimp producer

Indonesia is expected to become one of the world's biggest shrimp exporters, with production for the 2010-14 period to increase by 74.75% or 699,000 tonnes, comprising of 500,000 tonnes of vannamei  shrimp and 199,000 tonnes of Panaeus monodon shrimp.

"It is time to utilize the maritime sector to bring economic profit," said Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president of Indonesia, who inaugurated the Shrimp and Shells Production Center in Karangasem, Bali, on Monday (Dec 6).

Yudhoyono hoped that the large potential in the maritime sector would not be wasted. "The policy is for the benefit of local economies so that people can consume nutritious food," he said.

Currently, Indonesia is only able to produce 400,000 tonnes of shrimp a year. Based on the Indonesian Maritime and Fishery Ministry's data, Indonesia's shrimp exports last year was 240,250 tonnes or 27.29% from the total fish exports totalling 881,413 tonnes. The total shrimp export value was US$1.5 trillion.

By 2014, Indonesia is expected to become one of the world's biggest shrimp exporter. However, according to the Maritime and Fishery Minister Fadel Muhammad, efforts to improve production have been complicated by the availability of breeding shrimps, which are mostly imported from Hawaii and Florida in the US.

To produce 340,000 tonnes alone, the Maritime Ministry next year will require 680,000 breeding shrimps. To meet the demand, the government has established a mother shrimp farming centre in Karangasem. "The farming center will be the biggest in the world, producing 675,000 per year," Fadel said.

So far, the Maritime Ministry cannot estimate shrimp production because it depends much on supply from overseas. Moreover, the price of imported breeding shrimps is high, at US$35-US$40 per piece. Fadel hopes that the farming center can reduce the production costs.