Indonesia's Top 5 Seaweed-Producing Provinces

Seaweed is one of Indonesia's leading export commodities in the marine and fisheries sector. Total national seaweed production in 2020 reached 5.01 million wet tons.

This figure comprises 4.66 million wet tons of seaweed produced at sea and 351,000 wet tons from seaweed farms.

The value of Indonesia's seaweed production reached Rp22.8 trillion in 2020. Specifically, Rp22.3 trillion came from seaweed harvested at sea and Rp541.5 billion from seaweed farms.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), seaweed production in Indonesia is spread across 23 provinces. The top five seaweed-producing provinces are South Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara.

Seaweed production in South Sulawesi reached 1.63 million wet tons in 2020. East Nusa Tenggara was second, with 1.03 million wet tons.

North Kalimantan produced 441,100 wet tons of seaweed, followed by Central Sulawesi with 419,900 wet tons, and West Nusa Tenggara with 402,600 wet tons.

BPS also notes that Indonesian seaweed plays a significant role in the global seaweed market. According to data from the International Trade Center, in 2018, Indonesia's export of raw seaweed ranked first in the world, reaching 205,760 tons.