New Indonesia Wealth, 'Green Gold' Has Export Potential To 196 Countries

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is said to continue to strengthen its commitment to optimizing the use of 'green gold' or seaweed from Indonesian waters.

Plt. Director General of Strengthening the Competitiveness of Marine and Fishery Products (PDSPKP) Ishartini said that the advancement of science and technology allows seaweed to be processed into a variety of added value products that have high economic value.

According to him, in general, seaweed derivative products can be grouped into 5P, namely food, feed, fertilizer, cosmetic products, and parmation products.

"A number of studies also mention that seaweed can be used as a basic ingredient in the manufacture of fuel or biofuels, so that it can be an alternative solution to the energy crisis that is widely feared in the future," he said as reported by the official website on Sunday, October 9.

Ishartini explained that Indonesia has great potential as a world seaweed player, especially if it is supported by holistic policies from upstream to downstream.

"It is recorded that 196 countries in the world are importers of this commodity. Of course this shows how important seaweed products are in international trade," he said.

Ishartini added that hundreds of types of seaweed can grow well in Indonesia and are very likely to be processed as food, health, pharmaceuticals, sustainable materials, cosmetics, biostimulants, and fertilizers.

In addition, the use of seaweed derivative products was also developed as an auxiliary ingredient in the manufacture of food industry products (es cream, bread, milk, sausages, edible films in fruits, instant drinks, and non-food (cats, textiles, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and so on).

"In line with this, the KKP under the direction of Minister Trenggono has also included seaweed as a priority cultivation commodity," he asserted.

Therefore, Ishartini stated that the government is ready to support the downstreaming of this 'green gold' to always meet processing standards that can bring economic benefits.

To note, Indonesia is listed as the largest seaweed exporter in the world. This is reflected in the volume of 2021 trade which reaches more than 225,000 tons or the equivalent of 30 percent of the total global seaweed trade.

However, the value of Indonesia only ranks second after China with a value of US$345 million or Rp5 trillion.

It is necessary to do a market intelligence to find out what types of seaweed products are needed, both for international and domestic market needs. On the other hand, there is a tight competition for the acquisition of raw materials between dry seaweed exporters and domestic processors (processing industries). Therefore, data and information are very important as a policy reference to regulate seaweed marketing," concluded Ishartini.