RI planning to process all seaweeds at home

Antara News, Friday, March 19, 2010 01:05 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia, the world`s biggest producer of the Eucheuma seaweed, plans to process the commodity at home, an official said here on Thursday.

"In the future we must process it more or, if possible, totally at home," the deputy for natural resource development technology of the Technology Assessment and Application Agency (BPPT), Prof Dr Jana Anggardiredja said.

Prof Jana who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Seaweed Society said almost all of the Gracilaria sp seaweed production has already been absorbed at home because there has already been a gelatin plant, which is the world`s biggest, in the country.

However Indonesia still imports carrageenin, the raw material produced from the Eucheuma seaweed for use in various food products such as ice cream, sausages, milk, candies and alginate, produced from Sargassum sp, he said.

"We still import carrageenin and alginate," he said.

He said a lot of researches are still needed to raise the target of seaweed processing at home from 20 to 50 kinds.

He said China whose sea does not produce seaweeds has a lot of seaweed processing industries and therefore needs a lot of seaweed as the raw materials from Indonesia.

He said the world`s demand for carrgeenin in 2006 reached 40,000 metric tons a year worth US$335 million, while alginate 12,000 metric tons a year worth US$94 million and gelatine 10,000 metric tons a year worth US$181 million.

In 2014 he hoped absorption of domestically processed carrageenin would increase to 15 percent or around 4,000 tons while exports to reach around 22,000 tons.

He also hoped absorbtion of domestically processed gelatine would be 85 percent or around 4,250 tons and exports around 750 tons.

Besides increasing production he would also seek to improve the quality of Indonesian seaweeds so far still considered low.

The head of the Indonesian Seaweed Association, Safari Husen, said Indonesia has been nominated as host for the 21st International Seaweed Symposium in Bali next month.

"It means Indonesia has been internationally recognized not only as a seaweed producer but also producer of seaweed processing products," he said.

The forum would also study how to develop seaweed industries from upstream to downstream, he said.