Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono targets fisheries exports of US$7.66 billion in 2023. In addition to exports, gross domestic product growth is also targeted at 5-6 percent and the fish consumption rate is 61.02 kg/capita.

Moreover, Trenggono also targeted salt production of 1.5 million tonnes, the exchange rate of fishermen reaching 107-108, the percentage of compliance of KP business actors at 97 percent, and the completion of spatial planning and coastal zoning plans in 32 areas.

"Then, the area of conservation areas is 29.1 million hectares, sustainable management and use of Fisheries Management Area (WPP) in 11 WPP, the proportion of fish species caught within safe biological limits, which is 76 percent," explained the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in a working meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives held on Tuesday, 17 January.

Furthermore, the export value of Indonesian fishery products reached US$5.71 billion or Rp84.60 trillion, up 10.66 percent compared to the same period in 2021 from January to December 2022. The import value in 2022 reached US$0.64 billion or Rp9.45 trillion. Meanwhile, the trade balance of fishery products experienced a surplus of US$5.07 billion, or an increase of 7.22 percent compared to the previous year.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) proves that 2022 is momentum for acceleration. As a result, compared to the same period last year, KKP recorded a 10.66 percent increase in the value of fisheries exports in January-November 2022.

In a press release, Acting Director General of Competitiveness Strengthening of Marine and Fishery Products (PDSPKP) Ishartini, at the end of December, the value of fisheries exports in the January-November 2022 period reached US$5.71 billion. Meanwhile, the import value in the same period was only US$0.64 billion. It means that the trade balance of fishery products was a surplus of US$5.07 billion.

Indonesia's main export commodities include shrimp with a value of US$1,997.49 million, skipjack-tuna with a value of US$865.73 million, squid-cuttlefish with US$657.71 million, seaweed with US$554.96 million, and crab with US$450.55 million. These commodities were sent to major export destinations such as the United States worth US$2.15 billion (37.63 percent), China US$1.02 billion (17.90 percent), Japan US$678.13 million (11.89 percent), ASEAN US$651.66 million (11.42 percent), and 27 European Union (EU) countries worth US$357.12 million (6.26 percent).

On that occasion, Ishartini still requested her staff to inform the business actors on the approval of trade agreements between Indonesia and several European countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) that are members of the EFTA (European-Free Trade Association) through the IE-CEPA (Indonesia European-Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement).

Next is the Mozambique-Preferential Trade Agreement (IM-PTA), which has agreed on tariff reductions for fresh tuna, crabs, and frozen shrimp, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is a free trade negotiation between ASEAN countries (10 countries) with five partner countries, namely Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, and New Zealand.

Ishartini also directed her staff to continue promoting the branding of Indonesian fishery products with the tagline "Indonesia Seafood: Naturally Diverse" and the sub-tagline "Safe and Sustainable" in various international exhibitions and meetings.

Several export commodities have their product branding, including "Indonesia Seaweed, Natural Binding Solutions to the World" for seaweed, "Indonesian Pangasius, The Better Choice" for catfish, "Indonesia Tuna, Sustainable by Tradition: One-by-One" for tuna, and "Indonesian Shrimp, Discover the Taste of 17,000 Islands" for shrimp.

Furthermore, Ishartini revealed the achievement of fisheries export value is estimated to grow 8.84% with a value of US$6.22 billion until December 2022 compared to the end of 2021. Investment realization in the 3rd quarter of 2022 reached Rp6.39 trillion, an increase of 45.62 percent compared to the same period the previous year and to several regions such as East Java, DKI Jakarta, South Sulawesi, and Central Java.

Ishartini added that the People's Republic of China is the largest country investing in the marine and fisheries sector, followed by Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, and Japan. In addition to recording achievements on the macro side, KKP also supports Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) players who process and market fishery products, cultivators, and fishermen.

It is shown by the disbursement of people's business credit (KUR) of Rp9.02 trillion as of November 2022 and is targeted to reach Rp9.7 trillion by the end of the year. As a result, 38.6 percent of business actors could add new workers after obtaining capital from KUR. Then, 83.16 percent of business actors could increase their production volume, and 90.08 percent of business actors managed to achieve an increase in monthly turnover.

Writer: Eri Sutrisno
Editors: Ratna Nuraini/Elvira Inda Sari/Wilda Stiana
Translator: Irvina Falah