KBRN, Jakarta: The Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries continues to encourage the development of a sustainable crab farming industry to support national exports. Increased global demand requires Indonesia to preserve natural crab resources.

“This increase in market demand opens up great opportunities for Indonesia to strengthen a stable and sustainable crab farming industry,” said the Director General of Aquaculture at the Ministry, Tb Haeru Rahayu, in Jakarta on Monday, November 10, 2025, as quoted by Antara.

Haeru said that the crab industry must prioritize resource sustainability and protect the coastal environment rather than simply increasing production. He sees the threat of overfishing as a possibility, as export demand to China, the United States (US), and South Korea continues to rise.

According to 2024 export data, rajungan (Portunidae) and crab ranked fourth in Indonesia's fishery product exports, with a value of USD 513.35 million (IDR 8.57 trillion). The Ministry is promoting education for coastal communities so that crab farming is carried out sustainably.

The main crab production centers are in East Kalimantan, West Java, and South Sulawesi, with national production volumes reaching thousands of tons per year. In Pasuruan, East Java, a 30-hectare crab farming modeling area has been built to strengthen the sector.

Yushinta Fujaya, a professor from Hasanuddin University, assessed that crab farming technology has been mastered, but downstreaming and knowledge dissemination remain significant challenges. She supports the concept of crab silvofishery in mangroves because it can combine economic benefits and conservation.

Chairman of the Indonesian Crab Management Association (APRI), Kuncoro C. Nugroho, said that balancing market demand and natural stocks can ensure crab sustainability. The necessity of research and development continues to be encouraged to maintain the quality of farmed products as good as wild catches. ***