Bubutan, Jawa Timur, Indonesia-based shrimp firm PT. Panca Mitra Multiperdana (PMMP) is proceeding with its plan to expand production despite the COVID-19 outbreak, according to CEO Martinus Soesilo.
PMMP has added two new lines to produce cocktail shrimp rings to serve rising demand from the retail sectors of several targeted markets, Soesilo told SeafoodSource. The company currently exports about 20 containers of shrimp rings a month to the U.S. produced from the new production lines.
“The company is fortunate to be working with many clients who have business on the retail side, with many consumers staying home and buying groceries more than ever, as food service business is suffering the effects of quarantines, lockdowns, and uncertainty,” Soesilo said.
The United States continued to be the top market for shrimp from Indonesia, and it has notched a significant increase in its import volumes compared to last year. For several months this summer, Indonesia even topped India as the top supplier of shrimp to the U.S. The Southeast Asian nation sent 28.7 million pounds (13,006 MT) to the U.S. in the month, down slightly from 30.4 million pounds (13,804 MT) it was responsible for in April 2020 but up from the 26 million pounds (11,772 MT) it shipped it May 2019.
In line with Indonesia’s higher shrimp exports, PMMP’s shipments rose 25 percent in the first half of this year, thanks to rising demand from the retail sector.
Soesilo said PMMP is Indonesia’s largest value-added shrimp packer, both for breaded shrimp and shrimp rings. The company has been shipping breaded shrimp to the U.S. and Japan for a number of years.
Soesilo said he believes shrimp will continue to be a sought-after protein despite the COVID pandemic, which has negatively affected many shrimp companies in Indonesia and elsewhere, forcing many to curtail reinvestment and expansion plans.
While Indonesia is one of the worst-hit countries by the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia, with 349,160 confirmed cases and 12,268 deaths as of 15 October, according to The Jakarta Post, PMMP has made it through the worst of the problems caused by COVID, Soesilo said.
“In the face of worldwide uncertainty due to the pandemic, we’ve stayed above waters,” he said. “I think this proves that people still eat shrimp regardless of economic situation, and Indonesia is well-positioned to supply it. The coronavirus was a scare, but our people have adapted to the new safety protocols smoothly.”
Photo courtesy of PMMP
