Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this week inaugurated a shrimp breeding centre in the Bugbug village in Karangasem Regency, Bali.
The centre will have a production capacity of 675,000 broodstock shrimp per year, and is expected to improve the country's competitiveness in the fishery sector.
The president said seafood commodities should be prioritised for the domestic market, especially to increase its consumption of fish and shrimp.
"The priority should be domestic market, and that supply chain should be made efficient so that prices can be controlled at an affordable level and people can consume more fish products.”
It should then target increased exports, he said.
Last year, the country's export value for shrimp reached $1.6 billion (€1.2 billion), contributing 63% of the total $2.5 billion (€1.9 billion) export value of its fishery products, said the minister of fisheries and marine affairs Fadel Muhammad.
"In the period of 2010-2014, we expect shrimp production to increase by 74.7% from 400,000 tonnes to 699,000 tonnes," he said.
[Source: Jakarta Post]
