Jakarta. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has blocked imports of frozen shrimp from Indonesia’s Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS Foods) over radioactive contamination concerns, sparking fears of mass layoffs and economic fallout among farmers and workers in Banten Province.

The FDA confirmed that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detected Cesium-137 (Cs-137) in shipping containers linked to BMS at four US ports: Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami. Follow-up sampling by the FDA found Cs-137 in at least one shipment of breaded shrimp. As a result, contaminated containers and products have been denied entry into the United States.

“The product appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern,” the FDA said in a statement, adding that it continues to coordinate with Indonesian regulators to trace the root cause.

The export freeze has already rattled shrimp producers in Banten, where BMS sources much of its supply. Local farmer H. Usmar Buntara, from Wansalam in Lebak Regency, urged the Indonesian government to step in swiftly.

“Government officials must go directly to the US and lobby to reopen the market. If this continues, our farms will collapse. Prices have already fallen below production costs,” Usmar told reporters on Tuesday at his shrimp pond.

He warned that the two-week halt is causing storage facilities to overflow and prices to plummet, while production costs remain high. The ripple effects, he said, threaten to put thousands out of work.

“If the ponds close, feed factories stop, and transportation halts. BMS alone has nearly 11,000 employees. Left unchecked, this could lead to massive unemployment,” he said.

Out of 34 operating shrimp farms in Banten, only 20 remain active, according to Usmar, while 11 have shut down in the past two weeks. Many farmers, he added, have stopped buying shrimp fry due to uncertainty over market access.

Usmar disputed claims that the contamination came from farming practices, suggesting instead that external industrial activity might be to blame.

“BMS does not use antibiotics, chemicals, dyes, or preservatives. Tests showed isotope levels at just 62 Bq, far below the 1,200 Bq threshold. Our shrimp are safe for consumption,” he said.

He called on the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry to launch high-level diplomacy with Washington.

“Shrimp is a strategic commodity. Millions depend on this industry. The government must act quickly to ensure farmers can keep producing,” Usmar said.