Luhut calls for faster seaweed downstreaming

Denpasar (ANTARA) - Indonesia needs to accelerate seaweed downstreaming so that the commodity is not only exported as a raw material but also developed into value-added products by strengthening technology and processing industries, National Economic Council Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.

"We want to see seaweed downstreaming efforts carried out in the near future," he said during the China-Southeast Asia Forum on Higher Education and Industry Cooperation 2026 in Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday.

Luhut said seaweed is one of the valuable parts of Indonesia's vast marine resources, stressing the need to capitalize on that potential by strengthening the processing industry to generate greater economic benefits.

According to Luhut, Indonesia could unlock the full economic potential of seaweed by drawing lessons from its nickel downstreaming program, noting that investment and technology are key to building a value-added industrial ecosystem.

On that note, he proposed strengthening cooperation with China to attract investment and acquire technological support. Chinese investment in Indonesia has exceeded US$70 billion over the past decade, he added.

According to Luhut, the robust partnership has played a significant role in advancing Indonesia's industries and enhancing its capacity to process its abundant natural resources.

He further underscored the need for Indonesia and China to expand cooperation beyond industrialization and resource processing, citing opportunities in research, technology development, innovation, and human capital development.

"We want to move from industrial capacity and technology transfer to joint innovation and from physical infrastructure to human and scientific development," Luhut said.

He also invited Tsinghua University to collaborate with Indonesian stakeholders on laboratory development and research programs, arguing that stronger research capabilities are essential for the country to maximize the value of its natural resources.

Luhut expressed hope that cooperation with China would help Indonesia develop industries based on local resources while strengthening the capacity of its researchers and workforce.

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Translator: R. Nampu, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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