Indonesia's Fisheries Exports Decline as Iran War Disrupts Trade

5 hours ago 4

March 18, 2026 | 12:09 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has recorded a decline in the volume of fishery exports due to the conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran that erupted around late February 2026.

"In terms of volume, it is indeed somewhat constrained," said Head of the Agency for the Control and Supervision of the Quality of Marine and Fishery Products, Ishartini, in a written statement on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

Ishartini explained that the decline in exports was not due to weakened demand. According to her, the decrease in export volume is due to constraints in the global supply chain.

Constraints in the global supply chain due to geopolitical conflict occur because of changes in shipping routes, increased logistics costs, and limited container and mother vessel availability. "All of these also contribute to raising product prices," she said.

Based on data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the volume of fish exports during this period of war decreased by 41.35 percent compared to last year. The weakening of this volume has resulted in a 21.71 percent reduction in export value.

Therefore, Ishartini stated that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is striving to increase the absorption of fishery products domestically. The goal is to maintain the stability of the value of fisheries trade, especially amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

From the beginning of the year until the approach of the Eid holiday, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries recorded fishery exports reaching US$983,147,052.32. "Up until the temporary suspension of cargo transportation on March 13, our system recorded that the export of fish to various countries had reached 197,718.80 tons, estimated to be worth Rp 16.7 trillion," said Ishartini.

Ishartini explained that this figure is based on the issuance of Certificates of Quality and Safety of Fishery Products (SMKHP) received by the authorities of the export destination countries. These certificates are required to meet food safety standards in the 140 countries that import Indonesian fishery products.

The ten countries with the largest absorption of Indonesian fishery products are the U.S., China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Ishartini stated that there are currently 486 HS code fishery products, consisting of thousands of products, being exported.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries recorded the top ten leading export commodities, including vannamei shrimp, tuna, squid, swimming crabs, seaweed, skipjack tuna, crabs, tiger shrimp, pomfret, and octopus.

According to her, this variety indicates that the level of acceptance of Indonesian fish in the global market is very good, and its quality and safety are trusted.

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