The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KP) is strengthening its aquaculture development program to focus on exporting high-value commodities. Recently, the ministry trained fish and seaweed farmers on how to manage fish feed and handle diseases on seaweed. The program was conducted online and focused on two of the five key products prepared by the ministry as champion products in the fisheries sector: tilapia fish and seaweed. Proper fish feed management is crucial as it can account for 60-80% of production costs in aquaculture. Meanwhile, seaweed is a potential product for the Indonesian fisheries industry with a high chance to enter international markets, but seaweed farming faces serious challenges.
The training, organized by the Ministry’s Research and Human Resources Agency for Marine and Fisheries, trained 1,105 people from across Indonesia who joined online. Participants expressed enthusiasm for the training, including the management of fish feed and handling diseases on seaweed. KP’s Minister, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, has emphasized that the Ministry is prepared to increase seaweed farming productivity and sees seaweed as a potential commodity for international markets. The Ministry is targeting productive areas, such as the Mamolo Seaweed Cultivation Village, to increase seaweed production, and tilapia fish as one of the national flagship projects to meet international market demand.
