Jakarta – The Danantara Investment Management Agency (BPI Danantara) has committed to disbursing IDR 26 trillionto support the revitalization of fishponds along the northern coast (Pantura) of West Java, a project designated as part of Indonesia’s National Strategic Programs to build a blue economy and strengthen marine-based food security.
The announcement was made during the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and the West Java Provincial Government at the KKP headquarters in Jakarta. The project will target 20,413 hectares of underproductive ponds located in four districts: Bekasi, Karawang, Subang, and Indramayu.
Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, confirmed that the entire investment will be covered by Danantara.
“We’re talking about 20,000 hectares, and the estimated investment is around IDR 26 trillion. Yes, all of it will come from Danantara,” Trenggono stated.
He added that funding from the state budget (APBN) will only be used minimally for preliminary technical purposes, such as mapping and zoning delineation.
This initiative aims to significantly boost the current low productivity of fishponds—now averaging only 0.6 tons per hectare per year. Post-revitalization, the expected yield is projected to increase to 144 tons per hectare per year, with a total production estimate of 1.18 million tons and an economic value of IDR 30.65 trillion. The project is also expected to generate over 119,000 new jobs.
Trenggono noted that fishpond revitalization is a key part of Indonesia’s marine sector reform. The country, he said, needs to focus on five high-potential export commodities: shrimp, saline tilapia, crab, seaweed, and lobster.
“If allowed, the market is ready to request 1,000 containers—or 1,000 tons—every month,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi stressed that the revitalization effort is not only about production but also about building a sustainable coastal ecosystem.
“Aquaculture is not merely about developing freshwater or brackish fish farming; more importantly, it’s about restoring coastal ecosystems,” said Dedi.
He called the project a paradigm shift in marine development, pointing out that land-based issues such as river pollution have direct impacts on the sea. He vowed to eliminate illegal structures along rivers and rehabilitate coastal and estuary areas.
“If the entire coastline of West Java is well-organized, its rivers clean, sedimentation handled, and the beaches lined with waving coconut palms, I am confident that the vision of a Progressive Indonesia will become a reality,” Dedi asserted.
The physical construction phase of the fishpond revitalization project is scheduled to begin in 2026.
