USSEC aquaculture coordinator Dr. Gede Sumiarsa’s June trip report details increasing demand for aquafeeds in Indonesia.  The P.T. Malindo Feedmill (Medan) expanded two feed mills in Jakarta and Medan in response to rising demand for shrimp feed in Sumatra and West Java.  P.T. Malindo had maximized feed production at its Medan feed mill at 7,000 tons/month, and was unable to continue to meet sector demand from this mill.   Feed mills belonging to P.T. STP and P.T. Sinta Prima were also reported to have expanded production in response to increasing feed demand from the aquaculture sector.

Dr. Sumiarsa worked with USSEC aquafeed consultant Mark Newman and Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons of Arizona State University in June to conduct technical seminars on shrimp diseases and aquafeed nutrition and soy feeds to the Indonesian aquaculture industries in Mataram, Surabaya and Bandar Lampung.  Dr. Fitzsimmons reported on efforts to identify the causative agent(s) of Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) in shrimp that have devastated the China and Vietnam shrimp industries.  Indonesia has not yet reported outbreaks of EMS, but will remain updated on the status of this issue.