Fueling Aquaculture Innovation: Bangladesh and Indonesia’s Collaborative Exchange

LightCastle Partners, Larive International, and Clarity Research take immense pride in orchestrating an exposure visit to Indonesia from 20th February to 23rd February 2024, under the program FoodTechBangladesh to provide first-hand demonstration of commercial and scalable aquaculture practices to Bangladeshi public and private sector.

The public sector representatives comprised of high ranking officials from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Department of Fisheries while the private sector delegation included top-level executives from key players within the aquaculture sector in Gemini Sea Food Limited, Fish Tech BD, Royal De Heus.

Indonesia presents an ideal destination for Bangladeshi stakeholders seeking exposure to advanced aquaculture technologies. With its diverse geographical landscape, including extensive coastlines, rivers, and islands, Indonesia offers a rich tapestry of aquaculture practices.

From traditional fish farming methods to innovative technologies, such as integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), Indonesia showcases a spectrum of techniques suitable for Bangladesh’s aquaculture sector.

During the visit, the Bangladeshi delegation immersed themselves in cutting-edge facilities, including the De Heus Indonesia feed plant in Bekasi, the PT Indo Aqua Sukses hormone-free tilapia hatchery in Majalengka, Biofloc Tilapia farm in Bandung, the Greenhouse RAS fish farming system in Bogor, and a shrimp farm utilizing intensive farming techniques. 

The underlying purpose of the trip was for key representatives from within the sector to learn about contemporary technologies being used successfully within an akin macroeconomic environment to evaluate the implementation of similar interventions in Bangladesh.

Representatives from the public sector were integrated to support policy advocacy efforts incentivizing and facilitating the uptake of such farming systems. Their integral involvement with farmers at the grassroots level promises to bring sustainable change within the aquaculture sector of Bangladesh. 

FoodTechBangladesh is a four-year public-private-partnership program (September 2022–August 2026) co-financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands and led by Larive International B.V. and LightCastle Partners Ltd. The initiative aims to boost the aquaculture sector in Bangladesh by fostering collaboration between private sector companies from Bangladesh and the Netherlands, in GEMINI SEA FOOD LTD, Royal De Heus, FishTech BD, and Viqon Water Solutions, with a joint investment of EUR 6 MN.

The partnership focuses on enhancing the commercial positioning of the aquaculture sector in Bangladesh and improving technical performance by demonstrating best practices and providing know-how through training programs.

Three Centres of Excellence will be established to train at least 1,600 fish and shrimp breeders and farmers on innovative and sustainable methods, anticipating a significant increase in production through advanced technologies, improved management practices, and enhanced protocols.

The program envisions strengthening the Bangladeshi aquaculture sector to be more competitive and sustainable in the fourth industrial revolution era, leveraging scalable Dutch technologies, investments, and expertise.

Beyond a mere knowledge-sharing expedition, this trip aims to serve as a catalyst for innovation, charting a course toward the evolution of aquaculture. The fusion of insights gleaned from Indonesia, coupled with the expertise of key players from Bangladesh, promises to pave the way for transformative development within the sector!