REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JEPARA - Indonesia will strive to boost the giant tiger prawn farming industry as the nation is ambitious to become one of the largest exporters in the world. 

Director General of Fisheries at Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Slamet Soebjakto, said Indonesia was once a large exporter of giant tiger prawn in 1980s. However, the attack of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and vibriosis broke the farmers down.

"We set the target to produce 600,000 tonnes for 2013," Soebjakto said on Sunday. 

The figure includes 60 percent of vaname shrimp, 30 percent of giant tiger prawn and 10 percent of other kinds of shrimp. Japan, France and European countries are the market destinations of giant tiger prawn.

About 50 percent from total production will not be exported, supplying local market. He said that government would put a big effort to boost the production of shrimp. "We plan to become the largest producer of shrimp in the world," he said.

For the last ten years, national production of shrimp is increasing slowly but sure, in line with the program of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to make Indonesia as the main producer of shrimp. Government targets to produce 699,000 tonnes of shrimp by 2014, increasing 74.75 percent from 2010.

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