Rina Sa'adah Urges Downstream Development of Endemic Fish to Help Farmers Capture Added Value

PARLEMENTARIA, Banjar — Rina Sa'adah, a member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, is urging the development of downstream industries for South Kalimantan’s endemic fish by integrating aquaculture with product processing. The move is expected to increase the added value of fishery products while delivering greater economic benefits to fish farmers and the community.

"Fish farmers benefit, and downstream, the market and the community can get good-quality fish at an affordable price," Rina told Parlementaria after Commission IV’s specific working visit to the Mandiangin Freshwater Aquaculture Fisheries Center (BPBAT), Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, on Friday (13/11/2026).

Rina praised BPBAT Mandiangin for developing an integrated fish-farming operation, from hatchery to processing into value-added products. She said the development "could provide an additional boost to economic growth in the freshwater aquaculture sector."

At the meeting, attended by the Banjar deputy regent and the Director General of Aquaculture at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), she also highlighted the potential of local South Kalimantan species such as haruan snakehead, papuyu, and belida. She asked about opportunities to develop processed products from endemic fish in collaboration with local governments, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and cooperatives. She noted that the range of available value-added processed products remains limited to just a few types.

According to Rina, downstream development can help fish farmers earn better returns and reduce their dependence on selling fresh fish, whose prices fluctuate. She also asked to what extent local feed ingredients could be used to lower production costs.

"We also saw how snakehead fish are bred, and it turns out the process is truly demanding," explained the politician from the PKB Faction.

Rina hopes South Kalimantan’s endemic fish will become more widely consumed. Given that BPBAT Mandiangin is the only center of its kind in Kalimantan, she urged the establishment of technical implementation units (UPTs) in locations across the region, in line with the KKP’s proposal, so that endemic fish farming can reach more areas. (arl/um)