Jakarta. The United States continues to be the primary export market for Indonesian seafood and fish products for the first half of 2024, with a value of $889.39 million.

With the total value of seafood and fish exports reaching $2.71 billion during the same period, the US accounts for 32.8 percent of Indonesia's export market. The next major markets are China (20.5 percent), ASEAN countries (13 percent), Japan (10.5 percent), and the European Union (7.1 percent).

Budi Sulistiyo, Director General of Competitiveness of Marine and Fishery Products at the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), reported that Indonesia's seafood and fish exports for the first half of 2024 amounted to $2.71 billion, marking a roughly 1 percent increase from $2.69 billion in the same period of 2023. This achievement represents about 37.64 percent of the annual export target of $7.2 billion for this year.

“The US remains the primary destination for Indonesian fisheries exports. Although we have achieved only 37.64 percent of our target for the first half of 2024, we are optimistic about reaching the $7.2 billion goal. We will continue our promotional efforts, especially since Indonesia has recently been temporarily exempted from anti-subsidy duties on frozen shrimp exports to the U.S.,” said Budi.

During this period, key export commodities included shrimp at $755.79 million (27.8 percent), tuna, skipjack, and mackerel at $456.64 million (16.8 percent), squid, cuttlefish, and octopus at $396.94 million (14.6 percent), crabs and lobsters at $275.15 million (10.1 percent), and seaweed at $162.38 million (6 percent). “Shrimp remains the primary export commodity from the national marine and fishery sector for January-June 2024,” Budi noted at a press conference on the KKP's performance in Jakarta on Friday.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's imports of seafood and fish products for the first half of 2024 totaled $219.54 million, or 8.09 percent of the export value, a decrease of 35.15 percent compared to the same period last year. “This solidifies Indonesia’s status as a net exporter of fishery products,” Budi explained.

For the first half of 2024, the trade balance for marine and fishery products recorded a surplus of $2.49 billion, equivalent to Rp40.67 trillion, up 6.2 percent compared to the same period in 2023.