Former Shrimp Ponds Converted for Tilapia Cultivation

Mangkrak shrimp ponds have been converted to cultivate saline tilapia. The target market needs to be studied.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A glimpse of tilapia and goldfish in Nila Kawali Village, Banjarwaru Hamlet, Kawali Village, Kawali District, Ciamis Regency, West Java, Thursday (16/2/2023). In the village, visitors can see tilapia cultivation and enjoy processed products such as fish crackers and ice cream made from tilapia.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries released a pilot fish cultivation cluster saline tilapia in the former area shrimp pondin Karawang, West Java. The regional-based saline tilapia cultivation pilot project is planned to be inaugurated by President Joko Widodo, on Wednesday (8/5/2024).

The saltwater tilapia commodity is one of the superior commodities in aquaculture fisheries. In addition to saltwater tilapia, other superior aquaculture commodities are shrimp, seaweed, lobster, and crab.

The salt-tolerant tilapia is an excellent type of tilapia that has gone through several adaptation stages to be able to live in brackish water. The seed of salt-tolerant tilapia is considered to have faster growth advantages, making it possible to be harvested earlier and have high resistance to diseases.

Also Read: Salin Tilapia Cultivation Pilot Cluster Built

A pilot project for breeding tilapia has been underway since 2023 in an 80-hectare former government shrimp pond area. The land was initially a shrimp pond built by President Soeharto in 1984 under the name of the People's Core Shrimp Pond Pilot Project, but it stopped operating in 1998.

Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, stated that the development of pilot projects for tilapia cloning in the former shrimp pond area involves farmers in order to increase national tilapia production. The tilapia commodity is considered to be Indonesia's mainstay in the international market.

"We are trying to renew and use this shrimp pond (former) as a location for cultivating tilapia. The cluster model of tilapia cultivation is expected to become an example for aquaculture entrepreneurs who utilize public waters," said Trenggono in a written statement on Tuesday (May 7, 2024).

KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

Nile tilapia seeds were cultivated in the ponds of the Freshwater Aquaculture Development Center in Tatelu, North Minahasa, North Sulawesi on Tuesday (18/2/2020). The government will encourage the development of independent feed to reduce feed prices and develop superior seeds to promote the development of freshwater aquaculture industries.

Cutting disease

The Chairman of the Shrimp Club Indonesia, Haris Muhtadi, when contacted, stated that the revitalization of shrimp ponds into tilapia production ponds can be applied as one of the solutions to revive idle shrimp ponds.

Investment in shrimp ponds and the operational costs of intensive shrimp farming require significant expenses, so stopping operations will result in substantial losses due to the burden of electricity costs. In addition, shrimp pond equipment, such as pumps, turbines, and generators, will be easily damaged if left unused.

On the other hand, the cultivation of tilapia is also useful for breaking the cycle of shrimp diseases, so that the shrimp pond environment becomes more conducive if it is someday used again for shrimp farming.

"The shrimp ponds and the coastal environment around them need to 'rest' so there is a break from disease attacks, whether from viruses or bacteria. If shrimp cultivation continues, the disease cycle cannot be interrupted," he said.

Also Read: Revitalization of Shrimp Ponds to Be Worked on Starting This Year

Nevertheless, according to Haris, cultivating tilapia in former intensive shrimp ponds is considered a temporary production alternative before the shrimp ponds are operated again. The investment in intensive shrimp ponds has already been significant, and it will not return the capital if it is redirected to tilapia production. With 3-4 cycles of tilapia production, the shrimp ponds are assessed to be ready to be cultivated again.

The development of a pilot project for saltwater tilapia cultivation in Karawang costs around Rp 76 billion and is managed by the Aquaculture Production Business Service Center (BLUPPB). In addition to production ponds, other facilities have been built, including a wastewater management installation (IPAL), irrigation channels (inlet-outlet), tanks, and a laboratory.

The productivity of saltwater tilapia at that area is targeted at 7,020 tons per cycle or worth Rp 210.6 billion assuming a selling price of saltwater tilapia at Rp 30,000 per kg. Assuming a production cost of Rp 24,500 per kg, the pilot project is expected to generate profits of around Rp 38.6 billion.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Workers carry machines while harvesting vaname shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in one of the shrimp ponds in Karimunjawa Village, Karimunjawa District, Jepara, Central Java, Wednesday (14/4/2024). This partial harvest is carried out on a cycle of approximately every four months. Prawns from Karimunjawa are mostly exported to the United States.

Environmental carrying capacity

Professor of Coastal and Marine Resources Management at IPB University, Rokhmin Dahuri, said that the ever-increasing pollution load entering the coastal waters of the Pantura coast has resulted in the water quality of these coastal waters increasingly decreasing or becoming polluted.

"Around 85 percent of the pollution load entering the Pantura coastal waters comes from various human activities and the land-based development sector (land-based pollution sources), such as fertilizer and pesticide residues from agriculture, organic materials and nutrients. from household and residential activities, and industrial waste," he said Tuesday in Jakarta.

In fact, for growth and survival, shrimp require higher (good) water quality than saline tilapia. In other words, saline tilapia is more resilient.

The demand (demand) for tilapia, both at home and abroad (exports) is quite large and tends to increase.

"However, the government must remain careful in developing saline tilapia cultivation, lest the area of ​​ponds developed for saline tilapia exceed the carrying capacity of the Pantura environment. The government and society must also significantly reduce the burden of pollution in the Pantura sea waters by implementing zero-waste technology, 3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle). ), and a circular economy," said Rokhmin, who is also the General Chair of the Indonesian Farmer Fisherman Movement (GNTI).

Target market

The Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Fish Processing and Marketing Entrepreneurs (AP5I), Budhi Wibowo, believes that the export market for tilapia is still wide open, especially for fillet products. Tilapia fillet products require a harvest result with a minimum weight of 800 grams per fish.

"Potential export markets for tilapia fillets include the United States and the European Union," he said.

As for the production of smaller size tilapia, weighing 300-700 grams per fish, it is still difficult to compete in the export market because it loses to Chinese production which is more competitive in terms of price. However, the production of smaller size tilapia is still considered to have potential in the local market.

"Efforts to increase the tilapia commodity market need to consider the target market, including how much the local market can absorb," said Budhi.