Blue Finance Accelerator (BFA) Alumni, Mina Ceria and Sambung Asa Collaborate to Improve the Welfare of Fish & Seaweed Cultivators in Pantura

After meeting at the Blue Finance Accelerator (BFA) program, Mina Ceria Nusantara (Mina Ceria) and Sambung Asa created a collaborative project with the concept of integrated multi trophic aquaculture (IMTA). What led these two social enterprises to collaborate and what is their synergy? Let’s find out more!

Combining Fish and Seaweed Cultivation

Mina Ceria is a fish farming services company operating in the north coast of Java with a focus on increasing the productivity of fish farming in the region. Facing a decline in fish farming productivity due to environmental pollution and climate change, Mina Ceria is driven to develop sustainable fish farming strategies while finding the right partners.

On the other hand, Sambung Asa, which is engaged in seaweed cultivation and trading, is actively looking for strategic land in the north coast of Java. “The economic and environmental potential in Pantura is promising. Apart from that, Sambung Asa is also looking for partners to develop the business sustainably,” said Julius Bernardus, CEO & Co-Founder of Sambung Asa.

From these two backgrounds and followed by the same goals, the idea of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) collaboration was born, in the form of integrated cultivation of seaweed and fish in separate ponds. IMTA itself is a form of marine-culture that utilizes the provision of ecosystem services by low trophic organisms (levels in the food chain) to be adapted as mitigation for waste from high trophic organisms.

Julius explained that waste from fish farming becomes nutrition for seaweed. Seaweed acts as an absorber of organic compounds from waste and improves water quality (bioremediation). The water resulting from bioremediation by seaweed is reused as raw water for fish cultivation and the remaining part that is not reused remains safe to be discharged into water bodies, creating a sustainable environmental cycle.

“This collaboration has been running since August 2023. Mina Ceria provides pond land, storage warehouses and operational personnel. Meanwhile, Sambung Asa plays a role in funding, technical assistance and access to seaweed buyers,” said Rizky A. Maulana, CEO & Co-Founder of Mina Ceria Nusantara.

Rizky said, through this collaboration Mina Ceria and Sambung Asa targeted that by 2030 they can increase the production area to 60 hectares, reach seaweed production of 200 tons per month, reach fish production of 20 tons per month, reach 180 workers in fish farming and seaweed, improving the welfare of farmers by increasing income by 20% above the minimum wage, as well as meeting water quality standards by up to 100%.

Instellar is committed to continue creating programs that can open opportunities for collaboration between social entrepreneurs that provide sustainable impacts both from an economic, social and environmental perspective. Contact hello@instellar.id for further collaboration info!