Exports Of Marine And Fishery Commodities Increase, Tuna And Squid Are The Most Ordered

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) released information that Indonesia's marine and fishery commodity exports increased during the first quarter of 2021 to 1.75 billion US dollars.

Meanwhile, the export record for the April 2021 period was recorded at US$488 million or 11.6 percent higher than the April 2020 achievement.

The Director General for Strengthening the Competitiveness of KKP Artati Widiarti said this condition caused the trade balance of the marine and fisheries sector to experience a surplus of 1.59 billion US dollars.

"The marine and fisheries sector is the hope of becoming an economic lever during the COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a press statement as quoted from the official website, Friday, June 4.

According to Artati, Indonesia's leading commodities that are ordered by foreign countries are tuna – skipjack – tuna (TCT), squid – cuttlefish – octopus (CSG), crab – crab and seaweed.

"The pandemic situation is not only a challenge but also an opportunity given the increasing demand for seafood in the global market," he said.

Meanwhile, for the marketing area, the United States is still the main contributor to the Indonesian market with a transaction value of US$772 million or 44 percent of total exports.

Followed by China with 246 million US dollars (14 percent), Japan 190 million US dollars (10.9 percent), ASEAN with 189 million US dollars (10.8 percent) and the European Union 83 million US dollars (4.7 percent). .

"In accordance with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries' directives, we will focus on improving the quality of marine and fishery products to boost the volume and value of exports this year, which is targeted to increase by 1 billion US dollars from last year to 6.05 billion US dollars," concluded Artati.