Name: Lax waste controls behind Indonesian shrimp export crisis
Uploaded: 2025-11-17T14:28:44.022Z
Duration: 3 min 14 s
Description: The U.S. has restricted shrimp imports from Indonesia after finding radioactive contamination in a shipment of frozen breaded shrimp. The contamination was traced to factories near Jakarta, tainted by scrap metal brought in from abroad.

The U.S. has restricted shrimp imports from Indonesia after finding radioactive contamination in a shipment of frozen breaded shrimp. The contamination was traced to factories near Jakarta, tainted by scrap metal brought in from abroad.

Jakarta

Radioactive waste containing cesium-137 from a steel smelter in Banten, near Jakarta, has contaminated the surrounding industrial area, including a shrimp processing plant. The contamination was discovered after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detected radiation in Indonesian shrimp, resulting in a halt to all shrimp exports to the United States.

Local residents had unknowingly used the contaminated waste for landfilling, and the crisis has caused shrimp prices to fall sharply as the domestic market cannot absorb the surplus. Industry leaders are calling for clearer zoning regulations and government action, while affected communities remain uncertain about the health risks and future prospects. The extent of the radioactive fallout is still unclear, and cleanup efforts are expected to take years.

Lax waste controls behind Indonesian shrimp export crisis

Radioactive material from a steel smelter. Wherever you look around the industrial complex in Banten, just outside Indonesia's capital Jakarta, you can find it. Black and rock-like waste that turned out to be highly contaminated with cesium-137, a dangerous radioactive substance. People here live with it, and many even bought it directly from the smelter. We use the rocks to fill our yards. We don't know what's in it or what it contains. We only know it's for landfilling. It's waste from the factory, so we just take it for our yard. Indonesia has no nuclear power plants, but investigators found the material was acquired from abroad. It's a steel smelter owned by Bitter Metal Technology. Once inside the smelter, the radiation spread to the wider industrial zone, including to a shrimp processing plant. The shrimp got contaminated through airborne dust. Fine particles from the metal scrap carried the cesium-137 into the air. That dust made its way into the shrimp facility. That's how the case came to light. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration tested the shrimp and raised the alarm. Later, Indonesia's cloves were also tested positive for radiation. For Indonesia's shrimp industry, it's a serious crisis. Because of this radioactive issue, shrimp prices dropped even more. All exports to the U.S. got shut down. The shrimp have to be sold domestically, but the local market cannot take it all, so the prices slumped. Indonesia exports nearly 90 percent of its shrimp, and the U.S. is its biggest customer. Now every shipment must be certified radiation-free. All shrimp farms across the country are feeling the impact. Industrial leaders are urging the government to act. There needs to be clear zoning regulations in this country. Zoning is important not just between factories, but also for shrimp farms. We still don't have proper zoning for shrimp cultivation. That includes Nani's family. Her neighborhood has been sealed off as a high-contamination zone. But no one has told her what that really means, and she has nowhere else to go. The full extent of the radioactive fallout is still unclear. What is certain, the cleanup and rebuilding trust will take years. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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