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From maggots to lime, RI strives to boost farm exports
Maggots are among some of the least-expected agricultural exports the Agriculture Ministry has been trying to boost
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Indonesia also exports salak (snakeskin fruit) to a number of countries, such as China. (Shutterstock/File)
One may never have thought about the possibility of maggots – something most people are repulsed by – becoming a potentially lucrative export commodity.
Nevertheless, that was the case for West Java-based Biocycle Indonesia, who has been breeding maggots to be exported to Europe as ingredients for fish feed.
“This is the second year we have been exporting maggots to the Netherlands. They are sought after as they are high in protein, which is ideal for freshwater fish feed,” Biocycle corporate secretary Elza Mayang said in a recent event held by the Agriculture Ministry.
The company’s latest shipment comprised 7 tons of maggots worth up to US$4 per kilogram.
“We are not the first to introduce maggots as an ingredient for feed in Indonesia [...] but if they were sold here for the same purpose, their price would probably be Rp 7,000 [US 49 cents] to Rp 12,000 per kg,” she said.
Maggots are among some of the less-expected agricultural exports the Agriculture Ministry has been trying to boost.
