Prabowo Promises to Distribute 5 GT-30 GT Fishing Boats to Fishermen's Villages
President Prabowo Subianto has promised to distribute fishing boats with a size of 5 gross-tonnage (GT) to 30 GT for people in fishing villages so that local fishermen can go to sea for longer and their catch will be more.
The distribution of large-sized fishing vessels is part of the modernization plan of 12 million fishing villages, whose program is known as the Red and White Fishing Village.
"One of our very strategic programs is the Fishermen's Village. There are 12 million fishermen's villages, we will modernize. We will make a jetty, a small pier for each fishermen's village. We will also build an ice factory, we will also provide cold storage, and we will help the fishing boats. Some of the fishing boats are 5 GT, later the fishing boats will be more than 30 GT, we hope that each village will be able to get one," said President Prabowo at the 2026 National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) between the Central Government and Regional Government at the SICC, Bogor Regency, West Java, Monday, February 2 as reported by ANTARA.
President Prabowo said the government had made one of the fishing villages in Biak Numfor Regency, Papua.
"We have already piloted a project in Biak that has proven to increase farmers' yields by almost 60 percent," said the President.
Since a few months ago, the modernization of a number of fishing villages has been carried out by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). Until the beginning of 2026, KKP stated that there were 19 Red and White Fishing Villages operating.
Some of the modernized fishing villages are located in Tolitoli (Central Sulawesi), Bumiharjo (Central Java), Pujiharjo (East Java), Lebetawi (Maluku), Gebang Mekar (West Java), Karang Duwur (Central Java), and Poncosari (Yogyakarta). Then, there are also in Bulukumba (South Sulawesi).
From a fishing village in Bulukumba, almost one ton of fresh fish, for the first time, was exported to Saudi Arabia on January 9, 2026.
Meanwhile, regarding the procurement of ships, President Prabowo has flown directly to the UK to meet with Babcock CEO David Lockwood in London as part of the Indonesian President's visit to the UK on January 18-21, 2026. Babcock is a world-renowned shipyard based in the UK.
The cooperation with Babcock is part of the Indonesia-UK maritime partnership.
In this cooperation, the UK supports Indonesia's plan to build 1,500 fishing boats.