Boosting efficiency and sustainability in Indonesia’s aquaculture sector

• Region: Indonesia
• Sector: Aquaculture
• Duration: 2019-2021
• 5 project partners
• Public-private partnership co-financed by the Dutch government

Key Achievements

• Increased sustainability in Indonesian aquaculture through RAS technology.
• Established 3 demonstration facilities showcasing best practices in fish farming.
• Trained over 350 Indonesian fish farmers in improved farming methods.
• Reduced water usage and antibiotic use in participating farms.
• Improved market access for Indonesian fish farmers through partnerships.
• Boosted annual production capacity for catfish, pangasius, and tilapia fingerlings.

Introduction

Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia with a relatively young, fast-growing and increasingly urban population of over 260 million people. The country has tremendous potential to be a leading global seafood player and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has the ambition to increase sustainable aquaculture production and reduce prices to make fish affordable for a larger part of the Indonesian population.

The Netherlands is internationally renowned for its leading and innovative position in agro-food value chains, developing productive and sustainable production processes and creating added value. The Dutch government has the ambition to contribute to a more competitive and responsible aquaculture sector in Indonesia. At the same time, Indonesia’s aquaculture sector offers vast business opportunities for Dutch companies.

From 2019 – 2021, a partnership of Dutch companies active in the aquaculture sector named FishTechIndonesia has been investing in Indonesia by establishing sustainable and innovative production systems and showing best practices locally. The FishTechIndonesia partnership received co-funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta.

FishTechIndonesia partnership included:

• Clarity Research Indonesia
• Larive International (initiator and coordinator)
• Royal De Heus
• Til Aqua
• Viqon Water Solutions

Activities & milestones

The FishTechIndonesia partnership established a number of demonstration facilities in Indonesia, showcasing better controlled and more sustainable cultivation of freshwater fish, applying recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) technologies:

1. West Java: Catfish cultivation with an annual production capacity of 50 MT at the premises of CV SUMMARINDO.
2. East Java: Pangasius with an annual production capacity of 30 MT at the premises of PT Mitra Cahaya.
3. West Java: Tilapia hatchery with an annual capacity of 30 MN fingerlings at the premises of PT Indo Aqua Sukses.

The farms furthermore acted as demonstration facilities where over 350 Indonesian freshwater fish farmers received vocational training in fields of stocking, feeding, biosecurity and farm management. These trainings enabled them to improve their yields and apply more sustainable farming methods (such as less water usage and reduction of antibiotics usage). In addition, the partners facilitated improved access to markets by establishing partnerships with local retailers and wholesalers.