The Indonesian government has committed to develop sustainable offshore marine aquaculture farming. The construction of cages, feed barge, and other equipment was imported from Norway. The budget allocated for the development of this system was 45 billion Indonesia rupian note (IDR) (about $3.5 million USD) per location, including the software, but excluding operational costs. Three locations will serve as pilot models, and state-owned company Perinus will handle the farming operation and market. Each location will have 6 cages, 30 meters in diameter. In the early stages, in order to be able to fulfill fingerling requirements, Perinus will contract with an already-established hatchery on Jakarta’s north coast, while the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) continues to establish a hatchery system at each hatchery site.
The development of high value marine finfish is the answer to Indonesia’s enormous marine resources. The Indonesian government expects that the country could become a major supplier of marine products. USSEC has a great interest in the development of this system, since the production of high volume of high value species will be the key target for USSEC to deliver the message of the superior quality and sustainability of U.S. soybean meal products.