The export prospects for catfish are promising in 2024, according to Samiono Abdullah, the owner of CV Wahana Sejahtera Food in Jombang Regency, East Java Province. He noted that the market for Pangasidae family fish has been steadily growing each year. One of the potential markets for Pangasius sp. is in supplying the catering needs for Umrah and Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, where Indonesia sends at least 220,000 Hajj pilgrims annually, in addition to approximately 2 million Umrah pilgrims. Samiono expressed regret that Indonesia currently only meets about 10% of the food and service needs of these pilgrims, resulting in only 10% of the revenue returning to the country. This does not yet include catfish as one of the flagship commodities. Samiono highlighted that Indonesia still relies on neighboring countries to supply the needs of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims, unlike Malaysia, which can meet 100% of its pilgrims' food needs. He believes that Indonesian catfish can compete in terms of quality and price, citing a successful export of 236.5 tons to Saudi Arabia in 2019 without any complaints from consumers.

According to data from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Indonesia's average catfish production is 360,000 tons per year, while the demand for Hajj pilgrims is only around 500 tons per year, indicating the potential for meeting export demands domestically. However, regulatory issues pose current challenges. Despite this, the export selling price is higher than the local market price, benefiting farmers. The local market price ranges from IDR 16,000 to IDR 21,000 per kg, while the export price ranges from IDR 40,000 to IDR 50,000 per kg, with production costs ranging from IDR 14,500 to IDR 16,000 per kg, ensuring profitability for farmers.

Source: https://trubus.id/pasar-ekspor-patin-menggairahkan-permintaan-pasokan-500-ton-per-tahun/