Indonesia is moving to scale up lobster aquaculture after a farming trial in Batam produced market-sized lobsters that were successfully sold to Singapore — an early indication that the country can build a more predictable export supply chain around farmed lobster. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries said 339.5 kilograms of lobsters produced through the Batam trial were sold to Singapore and received a positive market response. The next shipment is targeted for November 2026.
The milestone is important because the model is designed to take lobsters from the lobster larvae stage, known as BBL, through to market size, rather than relying predominantly on wild catches. “This shows we can farm lobsters from the BBL stage to market size, and the output can already be sold and exported,” said Tb Haeru Rahayu, Director General of Aquaculture at Indonesia’s Fisheries Ministry.
From Batam Trial to National Production Network
The ministry now wants to take the Batam model beyond a single demonstration site. Plans are under way to establish a similar lobster-farming model in Situbondo, East Java, alongside existing initiatives in Batam and West Nusa Tenggara. The proposed regional structure is intended to create a geographically distributed production network. Batam would serve western Indonesia, Situbondo the central region, and Lombok and other areas of West Nusa Tenggara the eastern region.
The objective is not simply to increase farm capacity. Indonesia wants to build a supply chain capable of delivering more consistent volumes to both domestic and export markets. That could address one of aquaculture’s biggest advantages over wild capture: predictability.
Singapore Provides an Early Market Test
The Batam harvest has already undergone a commercial test in Singapore. Sugianto, an exporter of crabs and lobsters to Singapore and China, said his company initially conducted market trials before larger-scale harvesting. The farmed lobsters remained in good condition during transport and performed well during testing in the Singapore market. “The quality is good, and the lobsters remain healthy. They arrived at the holding facility in good condition. We also tested exports to Singapore, and the response was very positive,” Sugianto said.
The response gives Indonesia an early indication that farmed lobster can meet the logistical and quality requirements of an established regional seafood market.
Aquaculture Could Reduce Wild-Catch Dependence
The larger opportunity lies in supply consistency. Lobster markets can be constrained by the availability and variability of wild catches. Farm production, if scaled successfully, could provide a more predictable source of supply while creating a dedicated production base for export markets. The ministry expects the expansion to increase lobster-farming capacity and establish a supply chain aligned with market demand.
For Indonesia, the challenge now shifts from proving that lobsters can be farmed commercially to proving that the model can be scaled economically, consistently and across multiple regions. Batam has supplied the first proof point. The planned expansion to Situbondo and West Nusa Tenggara will test whether that success can become a national aquaculture strategy — and ultimately give Indonesia a larger role in the regional farmed-lobster trade.
