Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed his belief that the application of modern aquaculture management in shrimp farming areas in Kebumen District, Central Java Province, could serve as an example for other regions in applying similar practices.

"Modern (aquaculture) management that we see today can be an example that can be emulated by other provinces and districts later," he remarked while inaugurating the Area-Based Shrimp Cultivation Ponds on Thursday.

He noted that a detailed management system was required for the shrimp farming business to support the production of ponds.

A detailed management system is implemented in whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultivation ponds in Kebumen District, which is able to maintain the cleanliness of water to optimize the production of the commodity.

The president stated that every hectare of the facility is estimated to generate over 40 tons of shrimp.

Jokowi remarked that the area of the Area-Based Shrimp Cultivation Ponds had currently reached 60 hectares.

According to information on the site of the Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ministry, there are currently 149 aquaculture ponds in the 60-hectare area.

The government is targeting to further develop the area to reach 100 hectares, with about 200 to 210 farming ponds.

Meanwhile, Rp175 billion (US$11.27 million) was spent to build the facility.

The ministry also noted that the shrimp cultivation facility is the largest one in Indonesia. The pond also meets the best practice for modern shrimp cultivation from an environmental perspective.

The ministry expects that the development of the Area-Based Shrimp Cultivation Ponds can help the government achieve the national shrimp production target of two million tons in 2024.

While visiting the shrimp farming facility on January 13, 2023, KKP Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated that the potential economic value of the facility was worth Rp400 billion (US$25.75 million) per year.

He expected that the cultivation area would be able to create direct jobs for 300 people.

Hence, he called on the local government to prioritize recruiting local residents as workers in the aquaculture area.

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Translator: Indra Pribadi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Anton Santoso
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