KKP Minister Mulls Reopening Lobster Seed Export Again

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the government was considering lifting the ban on the export of lobster seed again. The ban was previously imposed by his predecessor Susi Pudjiastuti.

Trengono said the government was still conducting studies on the matter. However, he emphasized that strict requirements would be in place for exportation. For example, countries that wish to import the commodity will be required to invest in or cultivate lobster in Indonesia.

“[The studies will be completed] as quickly as possible, hopefully by next year,” he said after the national meeting on Blue Economy-based Cultivated Fisheries Development at the Ritz Carlton, South Jakarta, on Monday, Dec. 18.

The minister revealed that Vietnam is being targeted as one of the possible destinations for exports as 100 percent of the lobster seed in the neighboring country comes from Indonesia, and the export potential was estimated to reach US$2.5 billion.

This could not be separated from the fact that smuggling has been rampant since the government banned exports. Trenggono ensured that the lifting of the export ban could benefit the Indonesian economy.

The ban on the export of lobster seed is stipulated in the KKP Ministerial Regulation No. 17 of 2021. The export was first halted during the era of Susi Pudjiastuti in 2016. The ban was later lifted by her successor Edhy Prabowo in 2020.

YOHANES MAHARSO | AMELIA RAHIMA

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