PT Perikanan Indonesia (Persero), a member of the ID FOOD or Food State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) holding, has expressed its readiness to ensure the availability of food commodities, especially fish, to the public ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2024. Fish is one of the nine basic food reserve commodities designated by the government under Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2022, with SOEs mandated to manage them. Fajar Widisasono, Director of Operations at Perikanan Indonesia, stated that the company is working to ensure the safety and availability of fish stocks before the National Religious Holidays (HBKN). As of March 19, 2024, Perikanan Indonesia has a stock of 1,300 tons of fish stored in 12 branches and 21 units across Indonesia. The available fish species include Tuna, Octopus, Mackerel, Layang, Deho, Salem, Skipjack Tuna, Baby Tuna, and Milkfish.
Fajar emphasized that the condition of food stocks in the fisheries sector for Ramadan 2024 is much better than in previous years. Domestic fish production has increased in the last two months, especially along the island of Java. This phenomenon has led to a 20%-30% increase in market demand for fish, especially pelagic fish such as Skipjack Tuna, Tuna, and Mackerel. This increased demand can still be accommodated with abundant stock availability, so the public need not worry about fish availability during Ramadan and before Eid al-Fitr. Perikanan Indonesia has taken preventive measures by purchasing fish from all working areas to maintain food stock availability.
