Indonesia’s Free Meals Program Creates Major New Market for Fish Producers

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s free nutritious meals program is creating a major new market for the country’s fish producers. The government estimates that thousands of meal service units could require hundreds of thousands of tons of fish.

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries on Monday, August 31, 2026, estimates that 25,823 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) kitchen, or meal preparation and service units, could require around 422,000 tons of fish.

Director of Processing at the Directorate General for Strengthening the Competitiveness of Marine and Fisheries Products, Budi Yuwono, said the demand is particularly significant on Java, where around 15,000 SPPG serving 25.5 million students are estimated to need 204,000 tons of fish. The figure presents an opportunity for fish farmers and small businesses to expand their markets while supporting the government’s free nutritious meals program.

“With 25,823 SPPG registered at the time, they would require around 422,000 tons of fish. This is quite a large amount,” he stated in an online workshop on “Food Product Diversification and Innovation.”

However, supplying the program will require fish products that are ready to cook, as SPPG kitchens are not expected to carry out extensive preparation such as cutting and cleaning whole fish. Yuwono stated that the ministry is therefore encouraging fish farmers and small businesses to develop processed products that can be supplied directly to meal preparation facilities.

“As far as I know, extensive processing cannot be done in the kitchens; they will require products that are ready to cook,” he stated, highlighting the need for ready-to-cook products.

The fish supply initiative is part of Indonesia’s broader national priority programs in the marine and fisheries sector. The programs include thematic fish farming in 40,000 locations and the revitalization of around 14,000 hectares of aquaculture ponds, with fish production expected to be one of the key outputs of these programs.

The initiative is also part of a broader effort to expand thematic fish farming and processing, with products expected to serve both the free meals program and other domestic markets. Yuwono then said the development of processed fish products could help strengthen the national fish market while creating opportunities for small businesses and employment.