Indonesia's Shrimp Export Value Rises to USD 1.86 Billion in 2025

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia's shrimp export value rose to USD 1.86 billion in 2025, even though export volume growth remained limited. This increase occurred amid various challenges facing the national shrimp industry, including high feed costs and demands for food safety and sustainability in global markets.

According to data from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) shrimp export volume reached 218.87 thousand tons in 2025, marking a roughly 2 percent increase from the 214.57 thousand tons recorded in 2024. However, this volume was slightly below the 2023 figure of 220.880 tons.

Meanwhile, the export value increased from USD1.68 billion in 2024 and USD1.72 billion in 2023 to USD1.86 billion in 2025.

Director of Brackish Water Fish at KKP, Fernando Jongguran Simanjuntak, stated that the relatively limited growth in export volume indicates ongoing challenges in boosting the competitiveness of the national shrimp industry.

"The shrimp industry still faces a number of challenges, such as high feed prices, disease, and environmental conditions, as well as demands for food safety and sustainability in global markets," said Fernando during the Towards Sustainable and Conversion-free Aquaculture in Southeast Asia (TOSCA) meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, October 1, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He said the industry faced pressure due to reciprocal tariff issues in 2025, which suppressed domestic shrimp prices. Shrimp prices reportedly dropped by nearly Rp11,000 per size category. Concerns about cesium-137 contamination have mounted, hindering Indonesian shrimp exports.

“The presence of Cesium exerted significant downward pressure on domestic shrimp prices because virtually none of our shrimp could be exported for a period of time,” the official stated.

Antibiotic use also raises concerns about food safety and products destined for international markets.

The United States is Indonesia's primary market for shrimp. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries reports that exports to the U.S. reached 124,563.65 tons, accounting for about 56.9 percent of total exports.

This heavy reliance on a single major market underscores the importance of enhancing competitiveness and meeting global market standards for the sustainability of the national shrimp industry.

To boost competitiveness, the KKP is promoting farming efficiency by developing feed made from local raw materials and implementing the "Aquafit 2.0" concept.

This concept prioritizes feed cost efficiency per kilogram of shrimp produced rather than focusing solely on the price of the feed itself.

The KKP considers farming efficiency essential to maintaining the competitiveness of Indonesian shrimp in the face of rising global market demands regarding price, food safety, quality, and product sustainability.

Shrimp is a vital commodity in Indonesia's fisheries export industry. To ensure sustainable competitiveness, production and efficiency must be strengthened to support growth in export value. ***