November 21, 2008

Indonesia's shrimp production next year is projected to rise 5 percent to 570,000 tonnes, said a senior official.

If Indonesia meet its production target for next year, that would leave surplus of 150,000 tonnes for local consumption, assuming that the US does not increase its shrimp demand, said Fishery Cultivation Director General Made Nurjana on Wednesday (November 19, 2008).

Nurjana said the US was expected to shift to cheaper shrimp imports due to the financial crisis.

In response to that possibility, Indonesia is preparing to produce the cheaper vannamei shrimp types, said Nurjana.

Nurjana said the size of shrimps to be developed next year was about 150 heads per kg for IDR 22,000-25,000 (US$1.77-2.01) per kg.

The vannamei shrimp species would be bred in intensive shrimp ponds in Banyuwangi, East Java, said Nurjana.

The US and Japan are main importers of Indonesian shrimps, to which exports totalled 85,091 tonnes in the first eight months of 2008, down from 96,149 in the same period last year.