Jakarta, InfoPublik - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries maximizes the potential of North Sulawesi fisheries to boost national fishery commodity exports. Since the last four years, the volume of fishery exports from the province has continued to increase, reaching 42 countries.
“Judging from quantitative and qualitative indicators, North Sulawesi's export performance is getting better, even included in the top 10 provinces with the largest export value along with East Java, Jakarta, Banten, South Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Central Java, Bali and West Java,” said the Head of the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ishartini in Jakarta, Tuesday (15/4/2025,).
Consecutively, the export value of North Sulawesi fisheries from 2021 to 2024 is 20,838 tons, 23,386 tons, 25,530 tons, and 28,056 tons. Meanwhile, the export value reached its peak last year in the range of USD 162,690,296 or around IDR 2.6 trillion (December 2024 exchange rate).
Of the total 42 countries that became North Sulawesi fisheries export markets, the top 10 of them were the United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Korea, the Netherlands and Canada.
"Meanwhile, the export commodities include 34 items, and the leading ones are tuna, skipjack, tuna, grouper, kite, smoked fish, goby, seaweed and marlin," added Ishartini
Fisheries Certification
In an effort to increase fisheries exports from North Sulawesi, the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries carries out nine certifications to meet the quality and food safety requirements in destination countries.
These certifications include global standards on hatcheries, enlargement, fish medicine production, fish medicine distribution, fish processing feasibility, HACCP, fish feed, fish handling on board, and fishery commodity distribution systems.
“The increasing volume of North Sulawesi fish exports proves that quality certification has an impact on consumer confidence, acceptance and global competitiveness,” she concluded.
Ishartini also ensured that her party always synergizes with Regional Apparatus Organizations related to quality assurance policies for export activities and fisheries quality assurance in the domestic market.
Previously, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said that the establishment of the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is a quality assurance institution for fishery commodities along the production chain (upstream - downstream), in the context of acceptance, commodity diversification and export destination countries and supporting Government programs in providing healthy food from fish to raise the dignity of fisheries communities in the regions and achieve prosperity.