DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Economy & Trade

Shrimp farmers resist revitalization plan on West Java’s northern coast

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources New plan
  • Shrimp collector and farmer Karsam says the proposed revitalization would affect all of his roughly seven hectares of ponds.
  • The government plans to reorganize about 78,500 hectares of traditional fish and shrimp farms along Java’s northern coast.
  • In West Java, the program targets ponds in Bekasi, Karawang, Subang and Indramayu and forms part of the nationally strategic projects list.

Every day, shrimp farmers gather at Karsam’s porch in Segarjaya village, West Java, to sell their harvests. Some bring five kilograms, while others arrive with as much as 15 kilograms. Karsam sorts banana prawns, speckled prawns and tiger prawns by species and size before sending them to Cilincing Market in North Jakarta.

Every day, at least 70 kilograms are transported to Cilincing Market in North Jakarta.

— KarsamThe shrimp collector described the volume he sends to the Jakarta market.

The 53-year-old collector pays between Rp30,000 and Rp100,000 per kilogram, depending on the shrimp’s species and size. “Every day, at least 70 kilograms are transported to Cilincing Market in North Jakarta,” he said.

Karsam also farms shrimp and milkfish in roughly seven hectares of ponds. Each harvest yields about 300 kilograms of shrimp and 1.5 tons of milkfish, providing enough income to support his family. That livelihood now faces uncertainty from a planned pond revitalization program.

That’s why we’re worried about the pond revitalization plan.

— KarsamHe explained why the government’s planned pond changes concern his family business.

“That’s why we’re worried about the pond revitalization plan,” Karsam said. “All of our ponds will be affected.” The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries plans to upgrade and reorganize traditional fish and shrimp farms across about 78,500 hectares along Java’s northern coast. In West Java, the project has been placed on the nationally strategic projects list and covers ponds in Bekasi, Karawang, Subang and Indramayu.

All of our ponds will be affected.

— KarsamHe said the proposed program would cover all of his ponds.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog