Sector
Fishery
Indonesia, boasting the title of the world’s largest archipelagic country with a vast sea area of 5.8 million square kilometers, stands as one of the largest producers and suppliers in the global fisheries market. The abundance of sea area provides Indonesia with a wealth of fisheries products, making fisheries a national leading sector in the country.
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Fishery
Indonesia, boasting the title of the world’s largest archipelagic country with a vast sea area of 5.8 million square kilometers, stands as one of the largest producers and suppliers in the global fisheries market. The abundance of sea area provides Indonesia with a wealth of fisheries products, making fisheries a national leading sector in the country.
There are 23 regions where fisheries stand out as a leading sector, supporting local economies and providing food security. These regions encompass Aceh, Bengkulu, Riau, Lampung, South Sumatra, Central Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and North Kalimantan. Other regions include Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, West Papua, and Bangka Belitung.
In 2022, Indonesia’s fisheries sector contributed a total of Rp505 trillion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Building this strong foundation, the country set an ambitious target of reaching US$7.2 billion in fishery exports by the end of 2023. Previously, total fishery product exports had hovered around US$5 billion to US$6 billion.
Supporting the sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP is its production. Throughout the third quarter of 2023, Indonesia’s fisheries production totaled 24.74 million tons. This figure includes both capture fisheries and aquaculture. In aquaculture, the main commodities are seaweed cultivation and shrimp cultivation, while in capture fisheries, the main commodities are tuna, skipjack tuna, and mackerel tuna.
Furthermore, Indonesia’s fisheries sector is experiencing a surge in investment. By the third quarter of 2023, the sector had attracted a total of Rp9.56 trillion in investment, with significant contributions from a mix of domestic sources at Rp5.32 trillion, foreign investors at Rp1.4 trillion, and credit sources at Rp2.84 trillion. Notably, China is the largest foreign investor, contributing Rp370.74 billion, followed by Malaysia with Rp240.4 billion, and Switzerland with Rp152.89 billion, highlighting the increasing international interest in Indonesia’s fisheries potential.
While Indonesia boasts impressive fisheries production and growing investments in its fisheries sector, it is vital to uphold fisheries regulations. These regulations ensure that this valuable sector thrives alongside healthy marine ecosystems. It is reported that Indonesia is scheduled to enforce a new fisheries policy in 2025, which will see quotas assigned to industrial, local, and non-commercial fishers across six designated fishing zones, covering all 11 fisheries management areas (FMAs) in Indonesia. The new quota system responds to a worrying rise in overexploited FMAs, which have increased to 53 percent from 44 percent in 2017.
Latest News
Surging global oil prices and tightening domestic fuel supplies have thrust Indonesia’s long-running electrification agenda back into the spotlight. Policymakers are increasingly portraying the shift, especially in the motorcycle sector, as the most practical and immediate way to curb fuel consumption. As part of this, the government is raising targets for its electric motorcycle conversion program, aiming to gradually electrify more than 120 million gasoline-powered motorcycles nationwide.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia explains that the government plans to significantly accelerate the fuel-to-electric motorcycle conversion program, also known as the retrofit program, to approximately 6 million units per year, a sharp increase from the current annual target of about 200,000 units. The expansion, he noted, is supported by advances in conversion technology that make large-scale implementation more feasible.
To support the accelerated rollout, the government has established a dedicated energy transition task force to coordinate implementation across ministries and agencies. The task force is expected to speed up the conversion of Indonesia’s conventional motorcycle fleet, which is estimated at around 120 million units.
The urgency behind this policy shift is underscored by the severity of the current fuel situation. Global oil prices have surged above US$100 per barrel, driven by the United States-Israeli war with Iran. This has prompted the government to consider demand-side measures to contain consumption and ease supply pressures.
Electrifying motorcycles, which remain the dominant mode of transport in Indonesia, is one of the key measures under consideration. At the same time, the government is also exploring more aggressive steps, including the possible reintroduction of nationwide work from home (WFH) arrangements to temporarily reduce fuel demand.
The oil shock has also revived scrutiny of earlier initiatives such as the Agrinas program, which aimed to import trucks and other vehicles to support the rollout of Red and White Cooperatives (KMP) across regions. Conceived prior to the recent spike in oil prices, the KMP program was designed to strengthen logistics and distribution networks at the grassroots level, with plans involving large-scale procurement of vehicles to support cooperative activities nationwide. In the current context of elevated fuel costs, however, the program’s reliance on conventional vehicles raises new questions about its economic and energy efficiency.
The situation also casts uncertainty over other automotive ambitions, including the long-discussed national car (Mobnas) initiative. While the project has been framed as part of Indonesia’s industrial and technological advancement, its direction remains unclear, particularly as the government has yet to specify whether the vehicle will be developed as an electric model in line with its broader energy transition goals or continue to rely on conventional internal combustion engine technology.
The last substantive update on the initiative dates back to last year, when state-owned defense manufacturer PT Pindad was tasked with leading the design and development of the national car. Beyond that mandate, however, little detail has emerged regarding the project’s technical specifications, production timeline or potential partners.
