Govt Pushes Fishermen’s Villages to Boost Coastal Welfare

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The government will accelerate the development of fishermen's villages to improve the welfare of coastal communities. Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said that this initiative is a key priority for the government because the fishermen's terms of trade remain low.

Minister Zulkifli, popularly known as Zulhas, noted that the fishermen's terms of trade currently stand at 103. This figure remains well below the terms of trade for rice farmers, which have reached 127.

“While rice farmers have reached 127, our fishermen are still at 103, falling into the first decile, which means their terms of trade are at the very bottom. Therefore, this year we are focusing on building more than 1,300, almost 2,000 fishermen's villages,” he said during a press conference on the Financial Note and the 2027 State Budget Draft (RAPBN) on Friday, August 14, 2026.

According to him, the program represents a core effort to boost the income and well-being of communities reliant on the fisheries sector. Minister Zulhas added that the development of coastal areas will continue gradually next year, with the government targeting the implementation of 40,000 thematic aquaculture projects across 40,000 villages in stages.

In addition, the government will finalize the construction of the salt industry facilities in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). This policy aligns with the government's broader focus on driving productivity across the marine and fisheries sectors.

Previously, the government recorded positive growth across several food commodities. Minister Zulkifli noted that rice production in 2025 successfully recorded a surplus of around 4.2 million tons, following periods when Indonesia still relied on rice imports.

“Alhamdulillah (All Praises to Allah), for carbohydrate staples like rice, within a single year, where we imported 4.5 million tons in 2024 , we managed to achieve a 4.2 million-ton surplus in 2025. The same goes for corn, and we no longer import consumable salt because domestic production can now meet our needs,” he concluded.

Production of corn and consumable salt continues to be strengthened to meet national demand. However, the government still imports corn and salt for industrial purposes. (Diva Rifdah-EN)