ITB Patriot Expedition Team Develops Land-Based Seaweed Farming to Boost Tanjung Banun Residents’ Economy in Batam

BATAM — Coastal residents of Tanjung Banun in Sembulang Subdistrict, Batam, Riau Islands, have long relied on seaweed growing wild in the waters around their village. The problem is that supply depends heavily on the season: plentiful at times, almost nonexistent at others. To tackle this, Team 21 of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Patriot Expedition has developed land-based seaweed farming.

As ITB’s official site reported, the project in the Rempang Eco City area of Tanjung Banun includes a cultivation house and a dehydrator for drying harvests. The aim is to reduce residents’ dependence on seasonal wild seaweed while opening opportunities for value-added food products.

It Started With a Field Survey

The idea grew out of a field survey the team carried out in August 2026. The survey found that seaweed use in Tanjung Banun relied entirely on natural supply. The team also found other seaweed species with broader uses and higher economic value, making them worth developing in a planned way.

Land-based farming was chosen because it gives growers more control. With containers and a controlled environment, residents do not have to wait for the season, are less affected by weather and waves, and can schedule planting and harvesting more regularly. A stable supply is essential if seaweed is to be processed into products sold on a routine basis.

Ulva lactuca, a Potential Local Nori

The species being developed is Ulva lactuca, a green seaweed known as sea lettuce. Team leader Dr. Susanna Nurdjaman explained that it has a relatively short cultivation cycle. Ulva is also rich in protein and vitamins and could be processed into nori, the seaweed sheets commonly used for sushi and snacks.

The opportunity is attractive because processed seaweed products generally sell for far more than raw seaweed. With the dryer, harvests can be turned into dried products that last longer, are easier to package and can be marketed beyond the village.

Women Farmers Lead the Way

The cultivation facility was inaugurated on Monday (26/10/2026) at the Tanjung Banun Merah Putih Fishing Village Hall, followed by a week of training for members of the local Women Farmers’ Group (KWT). The training covered every stage, from seeding and fertilizing to harvesting and post-harvest processing.

The involvement of women is significant. In many coastal villages, women play a major role in processing marine products and supplementing family income while their husbands go to sea. Land-based farming close to home allows them to work without going out to sea.

Government, Campus and Community Collaboration

The inauguration was attended by Riau Islands Deputy Governor Nyanyang Haris Pratamura; Andi Wijaya, Director of Technical Planning for Economic Development and Community Empowerment of Transmigration; Riau Islands Marine and Fisheries head Said Sudrajad; Batam Fisheries Office head Yudi Admajianto; representatives of the Batam marine aquaculture center and local cooperative and business offices; and community leaders. Expedition teams from Universitas Indonesia, IPB University and ITS also attended.

Andi Wijaya described the project as a concrete example of collaboration among government, universities, business and the community. Nyanyang said seaweed development serves not only food needs but also the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and processing industries. Communities therefore need support in knowledge, technology, market access and business mentoring, he said.

Indonesia’s Big “Green Gold” Potential

The effort in Tanjung Banun sits within Indonesia’s huge seaweed potential. According to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Indonesia produced 10.80 million tons of seaweed in 2024, up 10.82 percent from the previous year, and supplies about 38 percent of global demand. National output has been dominated by Kappaphycus alvarezii, followed by Gracilaria and Eucheuma spinosum.

Amid the dominance of these species, developing Ulva offers diversification. If it succeeds, coastal villages like Tanjung Banun could become not just suppliers of raw material but producers of processed goods whose added value stays with residents.

About the Patriot Expedition

The Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) is a Ministry of Transmigration program that deploys young academics and researchers to transmigration areas to drive science- and technology-based development. As IDX Channel reported, the 2026 program involves 1,476 members from 10 state universities (UI, ITB, UGM, ITS, IPB, Undip, Unpad, Unair, Universitas Brawijaya and Unhas), deployed to 53 priority transmigration areas from Salor in South Papua to Barelang in the Riau Islands.

A similar program in 2025 involved about 2,000 participants. For villages in transmigration areas, the teams open access to research and technology that has long been out of reach. The challenge now is to make sure innovations like land-based seaweed farming continue after the expedition teams finish their assignments, with support from local governments and clear market access for residents’ products.

Part of the Merah Putih Fishing Village Ecosystem

Choosing the Merah Putih Fishing Village Hall as the inauguration venue was no coincidence. The Merah Putih Fishing Village program run by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) aims to turn coastal villages into fisheries economic hubs. As Kontan reported in March 2026, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono set a target of building 1,000 Merah Putih Fishing Villages in 2026, up sharply from 100 built in 2025, with a focus on eastern Indonesia. Facilities include cold storage, ice factories, fish landing areas, food kiosks and management offices.

If Ulva farming succeeds in Tanjung Banun, the fishing village facilities and seaweed processing businesses could reinforce each other. The catch brought in by fishermen and processed seaweed products made by women’s groups could be marketed from the same village.

Challenges Ahead

Promising as it is, land-based seaweed farming also comes with challenges that residents and mentors need to anticipate, including:

• Maintaining seawater quality and circulation in the cultivation tanks so the seaweed grows well.
• Ensuring a steady supply of seedlings for each new planting cycle.
• Obtaining food permits, such as home-industry food production licenses, so processed products can be sold more widely.
• Developing attractive packaging and branding and opening market access, both local and online.

Summarized from ITB, IDX Channel and Koran Jakarta (in Indonesian).