Indonesia’s tuna production now accounts for around 15 percent of global output, making it the largest producer of tuna in the world, Antara News reported, citing a government official.
Indonesia Directorate General of Marine and Fishery Products Competitiveness Marketing Director Erwin Dwiyana said the average growth rate in Indonesia’s tuna production has reached 3.66 percent, higher than the world’s average rate of 3.42 percent.
The other top tuna-producing nations globally are the Philippines, with the production share of 7.3 percent; Vietnam, with a 6.6 percent growth rate; and Ecuador, with a 6.1 percent rate.
Despite being the largest producer, Indonesia only ranked sixth in the list of largest global tuna exporters, with a market share of 5.33 percent as of 2020. The top destinations for Indonesian tuna in 2021 the European Union, accounting for 28.8 percent of the total; Southeast Asia region, which took 24.7 percent of Indonesia’s exported tuna; nan, Japan (17.9 percent); and the United States (8.7 percent).
The modest share of the Indonesian tuna exports, despite being the largest producer, is attributed to the limited competitiveness of its tuna products against other rivals, Dwiyana said. However, he said a collaboration between Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Indonesian Pole and Line and Handline Fisheries Association, and the Marine Stewardship Council is helping boost the standard for Indonesian tuna, thus helping the country expand its global reach.
In 2021, Indonesia Directorate General of Capture Fisheries’ Acting Director General M. Zaini said about 11,000 metric tons (MT) of yellowfin and skipjack tuna from Indonesia was certified as meeting the global standard for sustainable fisheries of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The products under the project are eligible for export to the U.S. and Europe, Antara reported.
Globally, Thailand was the largest tuna exporter with a global market share of 17.73 percent. Other major exporters included China (8.45 percent), Spain (8.20 percent), Ecuador (7.98 percent), and Taiwan (5.57 percent).
Photo courtesy of Rosyid A Azhar/Shutterstock
