Chairman of the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Union (KNTI), Dani Setiawan, said that as a result of the imposition of US tariffs, Indonesia could maximise exports of fishery products such as frozen shrimp to Japan, China, Taipei, Malaysia, Spain and France. According to Dani, the Indonesian government should immediately execute more concrete trade cooperation to accelerate exports of processed shrimp products to the UK, Dutch, Danish and German markets. Indonesia's main fisheries export commodities include shrimp, tuna, skipjack, tuna (TCT), squid, cuttlefish, octopus, crab, layur, gulama, tilapia, and lobster. Some of these commodities still rely on exports in the form of fresh or frozen products according to global market demand. Data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) recorded that in 2024, Indonesian fisheries exports destination country is the United States, with a total fisheries export value of USD 1.90 billion.
Going forward, the orientation of Indonesia's fisheries production, especially for exports, must also lead to strengthening the downstream industry, given the considerable market potential. Therefore, fishery products will have greater added value and create jobs. The Indonesian government will conduct negotiations with the US government rather than trade retaliation to navigate the impact of Trump's tariff policy on labour-intensive sectors, and to maintain or even increase the penetration of Indonesian fishery products in the US market. Indonesia must take action to diversify its export markets for fishery products to other potential countries. These initiatives need support with a cohesive development policy, especially in the fisheries sector, which is oriented primarily towards the welfare of fishermen and cultivators, enlarging the capacity of the processing industry, and environmental sustainability.
