Indonesia taps blue food to raise public protein intake

Samosir, N Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning is developing a blue food concept focused on aquatic food sources, particularly fish, to increase public protein intake.

Director for Marine Affairs and Fisheries at the ministry Mohamad Rahmat Mulianda said the initiative aims to increase fish consumption through sustainable practices that can be measured and maintained.

“As an archipelagic country, we want to boost fish consumption while ensuring that production remains environmentally friendly,” Rahmat said while monitoring floating net cages operated by PT Suri Tani Pemuka (Japfa) at Lake Toba, North Sumatra, on Friday.

He noted that blue food includes products harvested from both marine and freshwater ecosystems, including fish, shrimp, shellfish, seaweed, and other aquatic organisms that provide important sources of food and nutrition.

According to Rahmat, applying sustainability principles to blue food production must include maintaining water quality and controlling environmental pollution.

He added that developing blue food in Lake Toba requires balancing economic, ecological, and social considerations, as the area supports not only fisheries but also tourism, livestock farming, transportation, water supply, and other economic activities.

Speaking at the same event, Deputy for Food, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs at the ministry Leonardo Adypurnama said the blue food initiative is part of the government’s broader transformation of the food system.

“This underscores that our goal of achieving food self-sufficiency must go hand in hand with strategies to ensure low emissions and low water consumption, while better supporting long-term resource sustainability and environmental carrying capacity,” Leonardo said.

He noted that Indonesia has abundant aquatic sources of protein. According to the National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas), fish accounts for roughly 55 percent of total protein consumption in the country.

“Now, with major national initiatives such as the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, there is a clear push to increase protein intake, which remains low overall in Indonesia,” he said.

Leonardo added that his ministry is working with international development partners, including Stanford University, the European Union, and regional partners across the Asia-Pacific, to conduct a blue food assessment to guide the initiative’s implementation in Indonesia.

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Translator: Bayu Saputra, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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