The export market for marine products in the form of shrimp continues to skyrocket even though the global COVID-19 pandemic has not ended. Having a geographical contour that is predominantly maritime, Indonesia certainly has great potential to contribute as a large-scale shrimp producer. Especially now, shrimp exports in the United States market no longer impose import duties for all exporting countries. With this positive trend, it is Indonesia's opportunity to boost this value. Indonesian aquatech startup, DELOS, is very enthusiastic about this opportunity and believes that Indonesia is able to surpass the largest shrimp exporting country so far occupied by India, Ecuador, and Vietnam. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries recorded that the import value of shrimp from Indonesia to America in the January – April 2021 period alone was USD 503.8 million (24.1%) with a volume of 58.0 thousand tons or 23.5%.
The blue revolution launched by Delos leads to production innovation from upstream to downstream distribution, so that the shrimp products produced have a high competitive value. It is hoped that the percentage of Indonesian shrimp market share in the world market will be much higher. Through a significant increase in production, the export market demand will automatically be able to be met by Indonesian shrimp. It is not grandiose, Delos hopes that the Blue Revolution will be able to bring Indonesia to the top of the largest shrimp-producing country with a production value that far exceeds USD 2 billion/year.
The CEO of Delos, Guntur Mallarangeng, has his reasons for his optimistic view of Indonesia's chances of becoming the world's largest shrimp exporter.
The reason is, there are more than 50% of the archipelago's shrimp farming industry that has not been taken seriously. "In fact, the value is more than half of the current total value of marine products. Imagine if that potential is fully utilized, Indonesia will be number one. With a coastline of 54,000 km, abundant coastal human resources, and a supportive tropical climate, Indonesia should be able to become a global leader for sustainable aquaculture," he said in a press release. x Delos, which departed from the conventional shrimp ponds of Dewi Laut Aquaculture (DLA) and at the same time the embodiment of the digitalization of Alune Aqua, hopes to help the Indonesian shrimp farmers to evolve blue towards the modernization of ponds. It is hoped that the industry, which is dominated by traditional and fragmented methods, can transform into a modern and scientifically based systematic pond.
DELOS combines science, technology and good management practices to increase shrimp farm productivity and increase yields above average, close to 40 tonnes/ha. Guntur said that with the latest technology and a multi-disciplinary team, which covers aquaculture, marine biology, technology, and business, this could be a solution. Through this complete mix, Delos is confident that it will be able to support the Indonesian government's national agenda to encourage this growth while maintaining Social, Economic and Environmental (SEE) stability. “This is the Blue Revolution that we want to echo so that the Indonesian shrimp ponds can move forward together. DELOS seeks to increase its experience, network and IP, a complete pond management system researched and developed internally to increase the productive capacity and yield of existing Indonesian shrimp farms, by 50-150%. By creating more value for farmers, increasing the volume of national exports, and building Indonesia's reputation as the world's leading aquaculture country," said Guntur.
