Deputy Trade Minister eyes renewed fish exports, MSME growth in Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo — — Indonesia’s Deputy Trade Minister Dyah Roro Esti has highlighted the export potential of fisheries and small businesses in Labuan Bajo and Manggarai Barat during meetings with coastal communities in Warloka village on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, amid concerns that local fish exports have stalled this year.

During a dialogue with fishermen and residents in Warloka Pesisir, Esti said the Trade Ministry is looking for ways to revive exports of fish from Labuan Bajo, after activity that had increased in 2024 came to a halt in 2025, according to local coverage of the visit. She framed the discussions as part of a broader effort to connect micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with domestic and overseas buyers.

The Deputy Minister’s trip to Manggarai Barat included meetings with MSME operators in Labuan Bajo, where she encouraged hotels to stock more local products and expressed interest in value-added goods such as moringa-based items. The Trade Ministry’s human resources development centre for exports and trade services said Esti held a “sarasehan” with Labuan Bajo MSMEs on Wednesday, 23 July, to hear directly about their challenges and opportunities.

Fish exports to Malaysia and Singapore

Local officials and fisheries agencies say Labuan Bajo’s fish have already reached regional markets, particularly Malaysia and Singapore. In November 2023, Manggarai Barat’s deputy regent Yulianus Weng presided over a ceremony at Komodo Airport marking the first recorded export shipment of 483 kilograms of fresh fish from Labuan Bajo to the two countries.

Government and media reports from that launch detail 35 kilograms of fresh mackerel, 78 kilograms of red snapper and grouper sent to Malaysia, and 254 kilograms of mackerel plus 116 kilograms of grouper shipped to Singapore, with exports handled by CV Labuan Bajo Fishery under the supervision of the fisheries quarantine station in Bima.

Subsequent data from Manggarai Barat’s Food Security and Fisheries Office indicate that total exports of fish from Labuan Bajo to Malaysia and Singapore reached just over 4,086 kilograms by the end of 2023, following repeated shipments from November to December.

Officials quoted in regional media in early 2024 said the exported species included mackerel, grouper and red snapper, and that Malaysia and Singapore were the only foreign markets then served by Labuan Bajo’s fresh-fish exports. According to those reports, export activity increased through late 2023 and into 2024, before stalling at some point last year.

MSME promotion and market access

Esti’s visit to Manggarai Barat coincided with the Trade Ministry’s push to strengthen “export villages” and improve market access for rural MSMEs. The ministry’s export human-capital centre reported that the Deputy Minister’s Labuan Bajo programme focused on mentoring small businesses to upgrade their products and packaging and to prepare for broader markets.

Local coverage indicates that the Trade Ministry sees Labuan Bajo’s hospitality industry as a key domestic outlet, urging hotels to purchase and sell more locally produced items to visitors. In separate visits earlier in July, Esti toured a moringa processing facility in Labuan Bajo and said she was impressed by MSME products made from moringa leaves and other natural ingredients, describing them as having potential for wider distribution.

While officials have pointed to the existing track record of fresh-fish exports to Malaysia and Singapore as evidence of international demand, neither the Trade Ministry nor local governments have yet confirmed new export contracts for MSME-processed goods arising directly from Esti’s July 2025 visit. The focus for now, according to ministry and local reports, is on identifying promising products, supporting compliance and packaging, and linking producers with buyers in national retail networks and overseas markets.

Weng has previously said that air links from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to Komodo Airport should help support exports, though recent reports on Esti’s visit centred more on the need to address regulatory, price and logistics issues to ensure local producers can benefit from regional trade.

Sources

• Tribun Flores - Aktivitas Ekspor Ikan dari Labuan Bajo ke Tiga Negara Terhenti, Tahun 2024 Sempat Meningkat
• PPEJP Kemendag - Kepala PPEJP Mendampingi Wamendag Sarasehan dengan Pelaku UMKM Labuan Bajo
• Detik - Ratusan Kilogram Ikan dari Labuan Bajo Tembus Pasar Singapura Malaysia
• InfoPublik - Export Perdana Komoditi Laut Labuan Bajo ke Singapura dan Malaysia
• Inside Flores - Eksplor Ikan Labuan Bajo ke Malaysia dan Singapura Mengeliat
• Labuanbajotoday.com - Wamendag Kunjungi New Eden Moringa di Labuan Bajo