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ndonesia plans to have a network of 136 villages dedicated to aquaculture by the end of this year.
The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to boost exports of its world-renowned aquaculture commodities, namely shrimp, lobster, crab and seaweed.
Experts have welcomed the plan, but say it must be supported by sound environmental planning, particularly avoiding the clearing of mangrove forests and ensuring proper waste management.
Indonesia is one of the top exporters of farmed seafood, but fish farming in the country has long come at the expense of carbon-rich mangrove forests and other important coastal ecosystems. |
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The Indonesian government plans to have a network of dozens of villages with aquaculture farms by the end of the year, in a bid to spur the post-pandemic economic recovery by catering to global demand for farmed seafood.
Indonesia’s fisheries ministry said in December that it has established six of these so-called aquaculture villages and would add 130 more by the end of 2022. The villages will cultivate high-value aquaculture commodities, including shrimp, lobster, crab and seaweed.
“Boosting production of commodities for exports comes first,” TB Haeru Rahayu, the ministry’s director-general of aquaculture fisheries, said at an online event. He added the program would strengthen the country’s food security and create new jobs. |
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