SEAMEO BIOTROP Partners with BGN and Bogor City Government to Supply Bioflok System Fish for MBG

BOGOR - The synergy between research institutions and the government is increasingly strengthened to succeed in national strategic programs. The Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Tropical Biology (SEAMEO BIOTROP) is now finalizing coordination with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the Bogor City Government to implement bioflok system fish cultivation technology in dense settlements.

This step is carried out as a concrete effort to support the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program which is a priority of the government of President Prabowo Subianto in creating national food independence.

The implementation of this innovation is in line with the massive development of nutrition infrastructure in the Bogor area. Based on BGN data as of May 2026, Bogor City has operated 33 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) units in all sub-districts to serve around 110,000 students.

The presence of bioflok technology is expected to be a practical solution for the government in meeting the need for fresh protein from upstream to downstream by involving the active participation of the community.

Director of SEAMEO BIOTROP, Edi Santosa, explained that one SPPG unit will be supplied from the cultivation results of 16 residents of the residents who are directly coordinated with the local government as a pilot project.

According to him, bioflok innovation is very effective in addressing the challenge of limited land in urban areas because it is able to produce large amounts of fish harvest by utilizing household waste land.

"We will coordinate with BGN and Bogor City Government intensively in the future. This is a tangible proof that technology can be applied even though our land is narrow. If the scale is slightly expanded, this can be used to supply the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program," said Edi at Biotrop, Tajur, Bogor City, Wednesday, May 6.

Technically, one SPPG unit that requires about 3,000 servings of fish in one menu can be met from a bioflok pond with a capacity of 30 cubic meters or the equivalent of a land measuring 5x6 meters.

Edi explained that if the needs were converted to a residential scale, it would involve 16 households or about two Dasawisma groups.

He added that one pool of one cubic meter is able to produce 100 large-sized fish in three months, so that type 21 houses with limited land can still manage the pool sustainably.

The advantage of this method compared to the conventional way lies in the use of an aerator for water quality control and an automatic feeder that ensures uniform crop results in a short time.

In just three months, the fish have reached a consumption size of half a kilogram per fish with a much denser population.

Apart from the aspect of productivity, Edi emphasized that the use of bioflok in urban environments applies the concept of low food miles which cuts the distance between producers and consumers, so that the government can save transportation costs while ensuring food freshness for students.

On the other hand, these bioflok ponds also have an ecological function as a retention reservoir to help the government overcome seasonal problems in the Bogor area and its surroundings.

"Rainwater in Bogor should not flow directly into the Ciliwung River and cause flooding in Jakarta. The water can be stored in these bioflok ponds. So there is an economic, social, and environmental function that is built at once," concluded Edi.