Standards, scale and why it matters
Indonesia’s Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry reported that fishery product exports reached 566,250 tons worth US$3 billion from January to June 2026. The export mix spans shrimp, seaweed, tuna and other higher-value products. This performance reflects an intentional shift away from pure volume growth towards quality-driven market access. By the end of June 2026, 1,162 certified companies were shipping fishery products to 152 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
As a result, Indonesia is building a more reliable seafood supply base. It does so while seeking a larger role in global trade and in the BRICS-led push for greater local currency settlement. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), agriculture, forestry and fisheries exports reached US$3.15 billion in the January–July 2026 period. That figure reflects the sector’s contribution to Indonesia’s goods trade surplus of US$3.70 billion in the January–July 2026 period.
The message for investors is direct. Indonesia fishery exports are no longer a marginal commodity play. They are becoming an organised export ecosystem with improving compliance, regional specialisation and clear room to scale.
From resource base to standards-led exporter
Indonesia is one of the world’s largest maritime nations. Fisheries have long anchored coastal livelihoods and national food security. However, export performance was often held back by fragmented supply chains, uneven quality control and trade barriers in key markets. Over the past two years, Jakarta has moved to change that equation.
The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has advanced a national quality certification agenda. It covers both upstream production and downstream processing. Acting Head of the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s Quality Agency, Ishartini, stated that export performance was driven by vannamei shrimp, seaweed, tuna, sardines, mackerel, skipjack tuna, squid, octopus, carrageenan, grouper, and various crab species. This mix spreads risk across species, processing types and market segments.
Meanwhile, the government has worked to secure and stabilise export access. In parallel, the Ministry expanded its network of technical implementation units across the archipelago. These units offer certification support and free online registration to exporters.
According to BPS, agriculture, forestry and fisheries exports reached US$3.15 billion in the January–July 2026 period. The share is still modest compared with manufacturing and mining, but it is rising steadily.
Indonesia is using quality standards to embed its seafood exports more firmly in global value chains.
Where is growth actually coming from?
The headline numbers are striking. Ministry data confirm fishery product exports of 566,250 tons valued at US$3 billion in the first half of 2026.
By the end of June 2026, 1,162 companies held export-ready certifications, comprising 900 fish processing units, 229 live fish export units, and 33 seed production units. That indicates coverage across the full production cycle — from hatcheries to processing plants. The breadth of certification matters for investors who need assurance on traceability and compliance.
Indonesia’s fishery products are exported to 152 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. This wide reach reduces concentration risk and supports bargaining power when specific markets tighten import rules.
According to Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry data released in early September 2026, Central Sulawesi’s tuna exports reached 47.2 tons worth US$272,636 from January to August 2026, following 68.86 tons worth US$468,871 in 2025.
According to a local official, Batam exported 3,678 tonnes of fishery products worth 125 billion rupiah (about US$7 million) to Singapore from January to May 2026. These exports represented 53 percent of Batam’s annual fishery export volume target of 7,000 tonnes.
During January–June 2026, Indonesia’s fishery exports to Japan reached US$279 million, with shrimp and frozen fish as the main commodities.
This contribution sits within Indonesia’s goods trade surplus of US$3.70 billion for the January–July 2026 period. Indonesia fishery exports are now material to the country’s external accounts — and still leave ample room for growth.
Stakeholders: who gains, who faces new tests?
The primary beneficiary is the Indonesian state. Higher-value seafood exports support foreign exchange earnings, bolster the trade surplus and help diversify the export base away from minerals. This strengthens Indonesia’s macro position as it leans into BRICS membership and seeks a more assertive voice in Global South trade debates.
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries gains institutional clout. Its quality certification agency can point to clear outcomes: more certified firms, broader country reach and fewer export rejections.
Regional governments and communities are direct winners. Central Sulawesi’s tuna exports, mainly yellowfin tuna, are shipped to the United States and Singapore under Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry quality certification. Batam sees similar gains through specialised products and proximity to key buyers.
Certified exporters supply 152 destination countries and can tap demand for shrimp, tuna, crab, and value‑added products such as carrageenan. However, they must keep pace with changing sanitary and phytosanitary standards — particularly in Japan, the United States and the European Union. The joint inspection framework with China offers both an assurance channel and a compliance test.
Investors in cold-chain logistics, aquaculture technology and certification services stand to benefit. Consistent export volumes and rising values support investment in processing plants, cold storage and port infrastructure. Traceability software and quality systems become key enabling assets for companies that want to scale while meeting regulators’ expectations.
There are exposed stakeholders too. Small-scale fishers who lack the capacity to meet certification standards risk being confined to domestic or informal segments with lower margins. Regional processors that fail to invest in hygiene, traceability and documentation may lose access to top-paying markets. Policymakers will need to track these distributional effects to prevent quality-driven export growth from becoming too narrow.
Indonesia’s seafood push rewards those who treat standards as a business model, not a compliance formality.
Outlook: trade, currencies and the next wave of gains
On standards, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s certification drive has clear momentum, with 1,162 companies certified and exporting by the end of June 2026. As more processors upgrade and as regional technical units deepen their reach, the share of total catch meeting exportable quality should rise. That supports volume growth without eroding unit prices — particularly for vannamei shrimp, tuna and high-value crab.
On export diversification, regional data point to specialty clusters forming. Over time, these hubs can anchor targeted investment in cold chain, port capacity and product branding, helping Indonesia move up the seafood value chain rather than remaining a bulk supplier.
Risks remain. Global seafood demand is sensitive to consumer income cycles, health regulation shifts and sustainability debates. Competition from Vietnam, India and Latin American producers will remain intense, especially in shrimp and tuna. Any tightening of import rules in major markets could test Indonesia’s quality systems under real pressure.
Yet the general direction is positive. The combination of certification, regional specialisation and supportive trade policy gives Indonesia a viable path to lift fishery exports further over the medium term. Investors, executives and policymakers should watch three signals closely: how quickly Indonesia scales certified processing capacity, how rapidly new destination markets open beyond Japan, China and the United States, and how BRICS currency settlement experiments begin to touch real seafood trade flows.
Quick answers
Indonesia’s Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry reports that fishery product exports reached 566,250 tonnes worth US$3 billion between January and June 2026, equivalent to approximately Rp52.6 trillion.
Indonesia exports fishery products to 152 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, with 1,162 certified companies actively shipping abroad.
Bank Indonesia has promoted local currency settlement among BRICS members to reduce dollar dependence; fishery exports, with their regular shipment cycles and diverse counterparty base, offer a practical channel for testing these currency arrangements.
