The General Chairperson of the Indonesian Fishery Product Processing and Marketing Producers Association (AP5I), Budhi Wibowo, explained that the perception of shrimp as an ‘elite food’ is still strongly attached. “In fact, if we compare the price with beef or chicken, in some areas shrimp is actually cheaper,” he said.
Unfortunately, the assumption that shrimp is expensive has limited the scope of the shrimp industry in the country. Consumers prefer side dishes that are considered more familiar and pocket-friendly, such as chicken, milkfish, or tempeh.
However, the root of this problem does not stop at perception alone. Budhi emphasized that the price of shrimp in the domestic market tends to be high, and one of the main causes is the still-strangling logistics costs.
Distribution from shrimp production centers such as Lampung, South Sulawesi, and East Java to various cities in Indonesia costs a lot of money. This has caused the price of shrimp on supermarket shelves and traditional markets to soar, reinforcing the impression that this product is indeed ‘only for the upper class’.
According to Budhi, when frozen shrimp must be shipped between islands, the logistics costs can exceed reasonable limits. “We send frozen shrimp to other islands, the logistics costs are very expensive. This makes the price of shrimp rise drastically in the market,” he said. The impact is clear, consumers are increasingly distancing themselves because they feel they cannot afford it.
