Jakarta, September 19, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has announced the government’s target to complete the development of 5,000 Red and White Fishing Villages across the country before 2029 as part of efforts to improve the welfare of coastal communities.
Speaking at the 28th anniversary event of the National Mandate Party (PAN), monitored virtually in Jakarta on Friday (Sept. 18), Prabowo said the government aims to complete 1,300 fishing villages this year, followed by 2,000 villages in 2027 and another 2,000 in 2028.
“This year, we will complete 1,300 fishing villages and next year, our target is 2,000 fishing villages. In 2028, another 2,000. Before 2029, our target is 5,000 fishing villages,” he said.
According to the president, the Red and White Fishing Villages will be equipped with infrastructure and facilities designed to support the economic activities of coastal communities. These will include cold storage facilities, ice-making units and fuel stations.
The government will also provide warehouses and vehicles to facilitate the distribution of fishermen’s catches to markets.
Prabowo said that, where necessary, airfields could also be constructed near fishing villages to enable high-value fish to be transported fresh by air to markets around the world.
He emphasized that such infrastructure would help preserve the quality of fishermen’s catches while expanding access to domestic and international markets.
The president also said the government had ordered at least 1,500 fishing vessels with capacities of up to 100 gross tons (GT), which would subsequently be distributed to fishing villages.
“The bottom line is our fishermen must be taken care of, because they provide protein for the Indonesian nation, they provide protein for Indonesian children,” Prabowo said.
He stressed that supporting fishermen is part of the government’s broader efforts to strengthen national food security while improving the welfare of coastal communities.
Through the development of fishing villages, infrastructure and fishing fleets, the government expects to increase fishermen’s productivity and enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian fishery products in international markets.
