January 15, 2021

Indonesia aims to become top vannamei shrimp producer

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono targets to make Indonesia the world's largest vanamei shrimp producer by increasing production to 16 million tonnes annually, from currently below one million tonnes, Antara News reported.

To meet that target, Indonesia must begin developing new shrimp ponds spanning an area of 200,000 hectares by 2024.

"If we succeed in developing 200 thousand hectares of shrimp ponds, with two harvest cycles of 80 tons per hectare per year, based on an economic analysis, it could generate nearly Rp1,200 trillion (~US$85 billion)," Minister Trenggono noted in a press release on January 14.

Indonesia's vanamei shrimp production is currently below that of China, Ecuador, Vietnam, and India.

Besides from developing new ponds, Trenggono revealed that the KKP will also build aquaculture villages in several parts of Indonesia to lift the community's economy.

Trenggono's latest announcements are the ministry's flagship programmes that he leads, in line with its motto of developing sustainable aquaculture.

KKP aims to raise 2020's production target of 18.44 million tonnes to 19.47 million tonnes in 2021. According to Director General of Aquaculture Slamet Soebjakto, the production target in 2021 consists of 7.92 million tonnes from fisheries and 11.55 million tonnes from seaweed production.