Frozen fish exports from Indonesia’s Maluku Province recorded a remarkable 1,187% increase in September 2025, reaching IDR 90.56 billion (approximately $5.76 million).
The report, released by the Indonesian National Quarantine Agency (Barantin) through the Maluku Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Center (BKHIT), shows a dramatic rise from August’s export performance.
Head of Maluku Quarantine, Abdur Rohman, announced in Ambon on October 8 that frozen fish exports reached 1,137,126 kilograms in September, compared with just 56,222 kilograms in August, valued at IDR 7.03 billion.
“This achievement reflects a significant increase in export value, up to 1,187%. It’s a positive indicator of Maluku’s fisheries export performance,” he said, as quoted by Antara News.
Image by: Food WineMaluku’s export surge was driven primarily by high-value seafood such as frozen tuna and vaname shrimp, which remain in strong demand globally.
Rohman highlighted that frozen tuna, exported both whole and in loin cuts, continues to serve as one of Maluku’s flagship products, maintaining consistent orders from Japan, the United States, and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, frozen vaname shrimp contributed the largest share of export value, supported by sustainable aquaculture practices in Maluku’s pristine waters.
In addition to tuna and shrimp, other commodities such as grouper and mangrove crab were also exported in both live and frozen forms to meet market demand in Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.
This growing diversity, Rohman said, reflects the vast potential of Maluku’s fisheries sector as a major driver of the regional economy and an important contributor to Indonesia’s marine exports.
While frozen exports surged, live fish exports declined sharply by 78.8% compared to August. In September, Maluku exported only 11,986 live fish valued at IDR 3.31 billion (approximately $199,611), down from 56,625 fish worth IDR 8.18 billion (around $493,236) the previous month.
Detailed figures show that in September, Maluku exported 36,486 kilograms of tuna valued at IDR 4.69 billion, while vaname shrimp dominated with more than 1.1 million kilograms exported, generating IDR 85.86 billion.
In the live seafood category, 5,412 mangrove crabs worth IDR 357.87 million and 6,574 live groupers valued at IDR 2.94 billion were shipped abroad. Export destinations included the United States, Vietnam, China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.
Rohman underscored that all exported products undergo strict quarantine procedures to ensure health, quality, and food safety, key to maintaining Indonesia’s credibility in global seafood markets.
“We hope Maluku’s fisheries products continue to compete internationally. We ensure that all commodities leaving Maluku are healthy, disease-free, and meet the requirements of destination countries,” he said.
He added that BKHIT Maluku not only safeguards the province’s biological resources but also serves as the frontline institution in upholding the confidence of international trading partners in the quality of Indonesian fisheries exports.
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