In Order To Downstream, KKP Will Expand The Location Of Seaweed Modelling To 10,000 Hectares

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) plans to develop a modeling of seaweed cultivation of up to 10,000 hectares in a number of locations in the country.

Minister of KP Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said this was done to ensure the availability of seaweed raw materials for downstreaming.

"We are developing seaweed with an environmentally friendly cultivation system to 5,000 to 10,000 hectares in several locations," said Trenggono in the agenda of the 2024 Investment National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) which was monitored virtually, Wednesday, November 11.

The plan is that this other grass cultivation system will no longer use plastic, but use coconut shells.

"We develop seaweed with an environmentally friendly cultivation system. We don't use plastic, but use coconut shells. We develop this (with) an area of 50 ha," said Trenggono.

Even so, Trenggono has not explained which locations will be targeted to become a place for developing future modeling of seaweed cultivation.

It's just that, he said, this is a continuation of the seaweed modeling that was previously carried out in Rote Ndao and Southeast Maluku this year.

"What is hoped is that when downstreaming will be carried out, of course, the availability of seaweed raw materials will be available," he said.

According to Trenggono, seaweed has a number of benefits. Thus, it is important for the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to carry out downstreaming of these products.

"The decline from seaweed is extraordinary. It can be used for pharmaceutical purposes, food interests and also for fertilizers," he concluded.

Previously, the KKP had built a modeling of environmentally friendly seaweed in Wakatobi waters, Southeast Sulawesi, covering an area of 50 hectares.

As for the Future Market Insights in 2023, the global seaweed market reached 7.79 billion US dollars and is projected to continue to increase to 19.66 billion US dollars in 2033, with the Majemuk Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.7 percent between 2023-2033.

This projection presents a fairly large seaweed business opportunity, both upstream and downstream.