Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Major Shrimp Harvest in Tegalretno Village, Petanahan District, Kebumen Regency, Central Java Province, May 23, 2026

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

May peace and prosperity be upon all of us,

Shalom,

Salve,

Om swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya,

Greetings of virtue.

Distinguished Central Java Governor; Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces, Chief of the Indonesian National Police, and [the representatives of] the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia, whom I am proud of. Thank you.

Distinguished leadership team of Commission IV of the House of Representatives of Indonesia, and all honored guests present here;

Regent Mrs. Lilis;

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Vice Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, all officials of the Red-and-White Cabinet present here;

Minister of State Secretary; does anyone know his name? Mas Pras. His full name? Prasetyo…? Prasetyo Hadi;

Who else are present here?

Vice Minister of Agriculture … What is his name? Sugiono? Incorrect. His name is Sudaryono. Vice Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono;

Who else? Mr. Karding, the current Head of the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin). This is important [to remember];

And, we have Professor Endang Toharo, a female professor from the House of Representatives. Which commission are you in, Mrs.? Commission IV;

Mr. Darori, a local from Kebumen regency, who once served as a Director General at the Ministry of Forestry and now serves as a member of Commission IV of the House of Representatives;

Head of the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Regulatory Agency (BP BUMN) Dony Oskaria, who manages the SOEs and serves as Deputy Head of Danantara Investment Management Agency. Danantara is our sovereign wealth fund. Danantara stands for Daya Anagata Nusantara. Daya means energy or strength. Anagata means future. So, this agency manages our national wealth for our future descendants. The scope of its duties is very huge, as it manages 1,040 SOEs with total value reaching US$17,000 trillion. Therefore, please take care of the fund prudently, Mr. Dony and staff. Never let any money leakage happen. Do not let the money go wasted because it is the people’s money.

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, I ….

Cabinet Secretary? Is he here? Well, I do not intend to mention him because every time I mention his name, everyone would scream: Teddy Indra Wijaya.

Who else are here …? I think there are many figures whom I cannot name one by one with all due respect.

Also present here is Commander of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres) Major General Edwin. He was part of the special forces group of Indonesian Army (Kopassus), right?

Who else…? Oh right, also present here is President Director of Pertamina: Mr. Simon—Simon Mantiri.

Another one also present here is Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Angga Raka Prabowo. His name is Prabowo too.

We also have another Prabowo here: Chief of the Indonesian National Police Listyo Prabowo.

On the other side, we have Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Agus Subianto. That is why Listyo must always sit on the right while Agus is on the left. So, we could call them both Prabowo Subianto.

Well, thank you for inviting me to Tegalretno village, Petanahan district. The invitation was sent by Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono. Where is he from? Boyolali? He is from Boyolali, Central Java province.

All in all, Kebumen has a special place in my heart because my late father was born here. He was born in a sugar factory complex, which I have been told has now become a hotel. Is that true? Okay….

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, I want to inspect the major shrimp harvest directly. I think the Area-Based Shrimp Aquaculture (BUBK) estate has been running for two years, right? Oh, three years … and now, its yield is in its highest quality—world class quality. Therefore, it is very promising.

Earlier, I was informed that a hectare of pond here can produce 40 tons of shrimp. It is impressive. Each 40 tons of shrimp has a great selling price, reaching Rp70,000 per kilogram. So, 1 ton of shrimp equals Rp70 million, doesn’t it? Rp70 million. It is great and very productive. The employment rate… how many people work here? Six hundred and fifty local people, 650 people work here.

Now, we are also establishing 2,000 hectares of [Area-Based Shrimp Aquaculture (BUBK) estate] in Waingapu. If we have the 65 hectares of BUBK here, we will have 2,000 hectares at Waingapu. We are also currently building the other 200 hectares of BUBK estate at Gorontalo. We are also building 14,000 hectares of aquaculture estate at Pantura, West Java province. However, instead of shrimp, we breed fish there.

In every region, we are beginning to boost the aquaculture estates. We will establish productive projects that will enable us to produce more protein for our people and to generate foreign exchange by exporting the products. We will expedite the development process of every productive project. We will run all productive projects. Productive here means that the projects must generate added value.

I have instructed the Red-and-White Cabinet members that the projects that we will and must support and run are those that are productive. What is the benchmark for productivity? [First, the projects] must create jobs for our people. Second, the projects must generate added value, expanding the nation’s wealth, and increasing our people’s income. That is what productivity means.

Therefore, I apologize for having to postpone the construction of numerous office buildings. Offices are indeed necessary, but we cannot afford to have grand buildings with zero productivity. Isn’t that right? A luxurious office without concrete output will not turn out to be a good alternative. It is far better to have a modest office that delivers exceptional output, significant results, and can increase people’s income. What our people urgently need right now is huge employment.

That is all I need to convey. Alhamdulillah, I can say that during the 18 months I lead this government, from October 20, 2024 to this May, all totaling 19 months, we have achieved a number of milestones.

We have now achieved food self-sufficiency. We are already self-sufficient in rice and corn. As for protein, we already have adequate supply of eggs and poultry products, while beef production still requires further work. We are actively working on it, and perhaps within the next four to five years, we will achieve self-sufficiency in beef products as well. Our food supply is relatively secure. Conflicts and wars are occurring in many parts of the world. We are grateful to God the Almighty that we have not been drawn into them, but we must remain vigilant. We must build our strength, and thus, we must continue strengthening our defense capabilities to safeguard our national wealth.

And now, we are managing our own wealth. We refuse to let our resources be continuously misused by certain individuals or specific countries. We have already put this into practice. We must do this, as it is a mandate of the Constitution. And it is for the prosperity of all Indonesians, not just a select few.

I have nothing further to add. Ladies and Gentlemen, you may have frequently heard my directives, opinions, and perspectives, perhaps through the mass media. Most recently is on May 20, 2026, when I delivered a remark before the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR RI), which was also aired live on many TV stations. On that occasion, I reiterated that Indonesia is a truly wealthy nation, but we continue to suffer significant losses of our national wealth. This must be stopped. I am determined to exert every effort, together with all [members of my administration], to take every measure necessary to prevent further losses of the Indonesian people’s wealth. Because our state wealth must be enjoyed by all Indonesian people, not just a select few.

That concludes my remarks. Once again, I thank all people of Kebumen regency. I truly appreciate your warm welcome. Kebumen people’s voices turn out very loud.

Thank you. I appreciate it. (NST/TM)