On Wednesday, 12 January 2022, at Indonesia’s Marine and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta, Masyarakat Akuakultur Indonesia (MAI), PT Multidaya Akuakultur Indonesia (PT MAI), Norway Connect and Seven Stones Indonesia held an “MoU Signing Ceremony” to formally endorse their agreement, reaffirming their commitment to collaborate on several projects of mutual and national interest.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono; the Ambassador of Norway for Indonesia, Mrs. Rut Kruger Giverin; the Ambassador of Finland for Indonesia, Mr. Jari Sinkari; CEO and Co-Founder of Seven Stones Indonesia and Representative of Norway Connect, Terje H. Nilsen; CFO of Seven Stones Indonesia, Ridwan Zachrie; Chairman of MAI, Rokhmin Dahuri and President Director of PT MAI, Budi Koto.
All parties agreed in principle to establish their partnership and cooperate in their efforts to build and develop Indonesia’s aquaculture business.
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries continues to boost the productivity and development of domestic aquaculture, which is best done by the cultivating community and relevant organizations as well as the private sector.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Trenggono said that he appreciated “the cooperation and initiatives that contribute to the policies of sustainable aquaculture focusing on marine health and involving local communities or cultivators in the development of aquaculture and encouraging technological innovation and industrialization, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and business innovation, as well as involving young people in start-up development.”
The Minister continued by saying that cooperation in the context of developing aquaculture in Indonesia is also an effort to strengthen the relationship between Indonesia and Norway in the marine and fisheries sector. He acknowledged Norway has expert cultivation technology that can be adopted by cultivators in Indonesia, which would result in increasing both the volume and quality of products.
The Minister has two breakthrough programmes to support Indonesia’s development of aquaculture including the growth of export-oriented aquaculture, with commodities such as shrimp, lobster, crab, and seaweed, as well as the development of aquaculture villages in harmony with local wisdom for poverty alleviation while maintaining high economic value commodities.
“I believe the government’s breakthrough programme based on the concept of the Blue Economy can be successful if it is supported by all stakeholders, including MAI and Norway Connect,” said Minister Trenggono. “Hopefully this collaboration can become well established in supporting the development of the Indonesian aquaculture industry,” he added.
Chairman of MAI, Rokhmin Dahuri explained that with this MoU there was a potential investment of USD 35-million, especially for superior aquaculture commodities, such as Vaname Shrimp, Grouper and Barramundi.
The Ambassador of Norway for Indonesia, Mrs. Rut Kruger Giverin also appreciated the collaboration and she believes that the joint agreement will help increase the development of aquaculture in Indonesia. She also said Norway is ready to share experiences with Indonesia, both in the fields of technology, cultivation practices, and markets.
For further information regarding Masyarakat Akuakultur Indonesia (MAI), you can contact Denny D Indradjaja (Secretary General of MAI) through ddindradjaja@gmail.com
For further information regarding PT Seven Stones Indonesia, you can contact Ridwan Zachrie (CFO of PT Seven Stones Indonesia) through ridwan@sevenstonesindonesia.com
