Blue Economy — a model of sustainable development which emphasises the utilisation of the coastal and marine ecosystem —g ained prominence as one of the main priorities of the maritime resource agenda of Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) Global Maritime Fulcrum vision. The president had indicated his commitment in reinvigorating Indonesia’s maritime identity, managing the country’s marine resources, strengthening its maritime defence capability, intensifying maritime diplomacy, and improving inter-island connectivity.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported that Indonesia is the second largest producer of marine products amounting to six million tonnes in 2014. Indonesia’s aquaculture sector yielded more than four million tonnes, constituting 5.7 percent of global aquaculture production in 2014. The archipelago’s blue economy contributes roughly 6.7 percent to the national GDP in 2016, absorbing 4.12 percent of Indonesia’s total workforce of around 100 million people.

… Dedi Dinarto is a Research Associate with the Indonesia Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.