REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is planning to develop shrimp aquaculture beginning early this year, as the current commodity prices of shrimp are promising and show good prospect.

"The prospects of the shrimp commodity right now are promising," Kadin Chairman for Fisheries Affairs Yugi Prananto stated here on Wednesday.

He noted that Kadin was promoting the cultivation of vannamei shrimp species in a number of provinces, including the one being cultivated in Karawang, the province of Banten.

Prananto explained that an investment of Rp500 million is required for every hectare of shrimp cultivation. He further added that the Kadin is conducting this business in cooperation with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

Businesses provided the requisite financing, seedling, and supportive infrastructure.

He expressed hope that the joint vannamei shrimp cultivation investment program will have a positive impact and will continue to run well.

With regard to the favorable prospects of shrimp aquaculture, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has also launched a revitalization program for idle shrimp ponds in a number of regions. The ministry claimed that the program has boosted Indonesia's shrimp production.

"This program has been able to increase the country's shrimp production and the productivity of the shrimp ponds, which have so far been idle," Slamet Soebjakto, the director general of aquaculture fisheries at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) noted recently.

He further stated that the revitalization of idle shrimp ponds has so far been neglected and this program will help to increase the productivity and improve the welfare of the breeders and people. Moreover, the government is continuing its efforts to increase the national shrimp production in order to meet the demands of both the local and international market.

"We are revitalizing the shrimp aquaculture so that we can set a production target of 608 thousand tons, up 30 percent from last year's recorded production of 457,600 tons," Slamet told the media.

In 2013, the government was conducting revitalization programs on 20 thousand hectares of shrimp ponds located in Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi, and Lampung.

To achieve its production target of 608 thousand tons of shrimp in 2014, the government has allocated a budget of Rp240 billion for the revitalization of idle shrimp ponds.

Slamet pointed out that the revitalization program, which was a pilot project called the 'defarm (demonstration farm) project,' was able to spur the development of new shrimp ponds near the defarm projects.

"This program is part of the agricultural, forestry, and fishery revitalization programs announced by the President in 2005, but was realized only in 2012 by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries," the Director General stated.

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