Tilapia farming, an overview of Indonesia

The aquaculture industry is rapidly developing worldwide, particularly in tilapia farming. In Indonesia, however, there are several issues hindering the development of tilapia farming, including environmental concerns, policy restrictions, disease outbreaks, and poor-quality fingerlings. Despite these challenges, tilapia is a crucial commodity and a popular food fish in Indonesia and is farmed in a variety of water bodies such as lakes, raceways, freshwater and earthen ponds, floating net cages, irrigation canals, and rice fields.

As part of the government’s plan to promote tourism-linked activities, the use of floating cages in several reservoirs and lakes has been restricted since 2018. This has disrupted farming activities in major man-made and natural lakes such as Lake Toba, Riam Kanan, Lake Batur, and reservoirs such as Jatigede, Cirata, and Jatiluhur. Additionally, the allocation of land for rice versus earthen ponds has impacted tilapia farming, and the decrease in environmental carrying capacity has further worsened the situation.

Challenges along the way

Both environmental factors and disease outbreaks have contributed to a decrease in growth performance and survival rates from 70% to less than 40%. Over the past 15 years, the productivity of traditional earthen ponds has dropped by 50-100%, with biomass decreasing from 2.0kg/m3 to 1.0-0.5kg/m3. Several other culture ponds also face similar challenges.

Tilapia has been particularly susceptible to diseases over the last decade, with infectious Aeromonas bacteria occurring at the hatchery and nursery phases, and Streptococcus during the grow-out phase when fish are between 10g to 1kg in size. Bacterial diseases have caused mass mortality or lowered survival rates to only 30%. Parasites and fungi have also posed a threat during the hatchery and nursery stages at 2-3cm fry stages. Other environmental challenges include low dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH, leading to less than 40% survival rates from an average of 70%.

Poor quality fry and juvenile fish have also impacted growth performance while increasing feed and energy costs have further worsened the situation. In Indonesia, the cost of producing tilapia in 2022, assuming an FCR of 1.5 for 500-800g fish and a 50% survival rate, ranged from IDR16,000-18,000/kg (USD1.11-1.23/kg). To increase tilapia production with good survival rates, growth performance, and better FCR, introducing good quality fingerling into Indonesian tilapia farming is essential.

Quality inputs

There is a wide range of specifications for tilapia feeds in Indonesia, and prices vary with the percentage of crude protein and brand. In 2022, local market prices ranged from IDR23,500/kg to 26,000/kg (USD1.56-1.73/kg). By comparison, wholesale prices for live tilapia in China in 2020 were between CNY7.5-8 (USD1.09-1.16/kg) for 500-800g (DAP, Hainan).

It is anticipated that tilapia production has improved in 2022. Nevertheless, new problems have arisen due to the considerable increase in feed prices, which has resulted in a global rise in the cost of some significant feed ingredients. Consequently, farmers are facing challenges in achieving production cost efficiency. In the first half of 2022, there has been a slight decrease in production, as evidenced by the past increase in fish prices in the local market. According to reports, small-scale farmers in various regions had stopped farming due to the escalating production costs, primarily due to high feed prices. In order to increase production volume, improve land efficiency, and reduce production costs, farmers could consider adopting intensive aquaculture farming methods.

In Jogjakarta and East Java, intensive Tilapia aquaculture is quite prevalent, using small ponds with paddlewheels that stock 10-15g juveniles (50-100/m3). The survival rate is approximately 70-80%, and productivity exceeds 15kg/m3 of 200g – 250g per fish after 120-140 days. The FCR is 1.3-1.4, and the production cost ranges from IDR 16,000 to 17,000/kg (USD1.06-1.13/kg). The energy cost ranges from IDR 500-1,000/kg (USD 0.03-0.06/kg). A more recent technology that has been introduced by USSEC and GPMT is the In-Pond Raceway System (IPRS). The purpose of this technology is to increase productivity (30 tonnes/cell or more than 125kg/ m3) and serve as an alternative to cage culture and traditional raceways.

Innovative technologies

Innovative technologies, such as the In-Pond Raceway System (IPRS), high-quality feed, and YY technology natural male tilapia, offer an array of benefits that can help farmers reduce production costs and increase their profitability. For example, by adopting the IPRS system, farmers can reduce the energy and labour costs associated with traditional pond aquaculture. Additionally, the IPRS allows farmers to control and optimize water quality, which can improve fish health and survival rates. The technology also allows farmers to intensively farm tilapia in a smaller area, freeing up land for other purposes or potentially increasing production volume. The improved efficiency and productivity of newer aquaculture technologies can enable farmers to reduce production costs and increase their profitability, allowing them to remain competitive in the market. As such, it is essential that farmers stay informed and consider adopting newer technologies as they become available to help them remain sustainable and profitable over the long term.