October 10, 2025 | 06:39 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Wahyu Sakti Trenggono, has assured that the cesium-137 contamination case involving Indonesian shrimp exports will not affect the country’s access to international markets.
Trenggono said the government is in close communication with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency detected traces of the radioactive substance in several shrimp containers shipped from Indonesia.
“We are in intensive talks with the U.S. FDA and continue to negotiate. I don’t see any major issue. The key is to ensure that all shrimp exports are strictly monitored and well-controlled,” Trenggono said during an event at the Jakarta Convention Center on Friday, October 10, 2025.
Contamination Origin and Government Response
According to an investigation by the Task Force for Handling Cesium-137 Hazard Vulnerability, the contamination did not originate from the shrimp products themselves.
Instead, it was traced to radiation from a nearby steel smelting facility in the Modern Industrial Area of Cikande, Banten, located close to a frozen shrimp processing plant.
Following the finding, the government declared the Cikande industrial area a “serious incident zone” to facilitate decontamination and further investigation.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan confirmed that operations at PT Peter Metal Technology Indonesia, the steel smelting company suspected of being the contamination source, have been suspended until the issue is fully resolved.
“Decontamination efforts in the affected area have been carried out. The special handling status only applies to Cikande, no other regions are affected,” Zulkifli said after a coordination meeting at the Grha Mandiri Building in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Zulkifli explained that PT PMT sourced its steel raw materials from the Philippines, and initial findings suggest that the imported iron ore, screws, and similar materials may have contained cesium-137, which then spread to the nearby PT Bahari Makmur Sejati shrimp processing plant.
Exports Remain Secure
Zulkifli emphasized that Indonesian shrimp products remain safe for consumption, and that the contamination has been contained.
“This incident will not disrupt exports to the United States since the affected distribution channels have been isolated,” he said.
Similarly, Minister of Trade Budi Santoso confirmed that the contamination involved only four containers of frozen shrimp and that the government has already taken preventive steps.
“Beyond those containers, there are no other issues. Mitigation measures are in place to ensure such incidents do not recur,” Budi said at the Ali Wardhana Building of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs on Monday, September 8, 2025.
The government reiterated its commitment to maintaining strict monitoring standards to protect both the reputation of Indonesia’s seafood exports and consumer safety in international markets.
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