To boost the quantity and value-added of domestic fishery products, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) continues to enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian tuna products. Tuna is one of Indonesia’s key export commodities, with its export value increasing annually. In 2023, Indonesia’s tuna exports reached USD 927.13 million, as reported by Budi Sulistiyo, Director General of Strengthening the Competitiveness of Marine and Fishery Products (PDSPKP) at KKP. Over the past five years, the average growth rate has been 6.1% per year, with main export destinations including the United States, ASEAN, Japan, the Middle East, and the European Union.
Sulistiyo noted that Indonesian exports of tuna, skipjack, and mackerel are predominantly in fillet form, contributing 39.4%, followed by canned tuna at 28.7%, and non-canned tuna at 7.4%. “Indonesian tuna has high competitiveness and great potential for market development. Therefore, we must continuously enhance its competitiveness,” Sulistiyo stated at the 2024 Indonesia Tuna Investment and Business Forum themed "Empowering Blue Economy Through Sustainable Indonesian Tuna Investment" in Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday, June 25. To improve domestic tuna products, Sulistiyo outlined several strategies: ensuring product quality and safety, developing tuna products to meet consumer preferences shifting towards ready-to-eat products, promoting Indonesian tuna products domestically and internationally, understanding the requirements and tariffs of importing countries to better prepare businesses, and strengthening bilateral relations through negotiations. “We are very focused on these competitiveness enhancement strategies to ensure domestic products are of high quality and avoid rejection in export markets,” Sulistiyo emphasized.
