Seaweed is one of the prima donna for Indonesian exports. In the January-September 2020 period, Indonesian seaweed exports reached up to 135.16 thousand tons with an export value of 207.19 million US dollars or around Rp 3 trillion. The chairman of the Indonesian Seaweed Association, Safari Azis, asked interested parties to work together as best as possible in utilizing and advancing Indonesian seaweed commodities.
"It is very important for all stakeholders to collaborate in order to optimally utilize seaweed in the country to boost the performance of the national economy," said the Chairman of the Indonesian Seaweed Association, Safari Azis to Mata Indonesia News. This nominal has the opportunity to increase if the processing industry in Indonesia is able to process various amounts of dry seaweed or raw materials.
As is known, the export of seaweed commodities from Indonesia is still dominated by dry seaweed or more than 80 percent of it is exported in raw form. Not to mention the potential for seaweed cultivation which reaches up to 12.3 million hectares and currently only around 272 thousand hectares or about 2.24 percent have been utilized, so there is actually a lot of potential that can be obtained in the future.
Currently, Indonesia ranks second as the largest seaweed producer in the world with a contribution of 29 percent of global production. Meanwhile, China is in first place with a contribution of 57 percent. The seaweed produced by Indonesia and China is relatively different. Indonesia produces tropical seaweed, while the Bamboo Curtain country produces seaweed of the subtropical type. With the abundant wealth of seaweed in Indonesian soil, it is not surprising that this country can take advantage of the seaweed commodity to improve the economic sector and people's welfare. The export destinations for seaweed from Indonesia include: China, South Korea, Japan, several countries in the European Union region, and the United States.
Source: https://www.minews.id/news/di-tengah-pandemi-covid-ekspor-rumput-laut-indonesia-tembus-rp-3-triliun
