From Sea to Market: Crab Packaging by Women Fishermen in Cirebon

Cirebon Regency is located on the north coast of western Java. Most of the fishermen are small fishermen with a boat capacity of no more than 5 GT. Most Cirebon fishermen catch crabs for export markets to Asia, the United States, and Europe. However, their income is uncertain due to weather factors.

When the west wind season arrives, fishermen cannot go to sea and have no alternative source of income. So in order to survive, fishermen depend on loans from fish collectors, creating a cycle of entrapment that is difficult to break. On the other hand, fishermen's wives face economic challenges that are no less severe. Due to the lack of job opportunities in their villages, many work as migrant workers to the Middle East.

In response to this, the Indonesian Fishermen's Union (SNI), which is an organization that fosters solidarity and unity between traditional fishermen's organizations, is trying to strengthen member fishermen in Gebang Kulon Village, Cirebon Regency, with the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding. The priority is to develop a collective business of packaged crab production.

The main actors of this packaged crab business are crab fishermen who are members of SNI and three groups of women who peel crabs. In this collective business, women fishermen play a big role in managing production independently and creating added value from the crabs caught by fishermen in Gebang Kulon Village. Entrepreneurial skills are also polished in training to ensure business sustainability.

The existence of packaged crab business not only opens economic opportunities, but also strengthens solidarity between members and builds a more independent fishermen's economic network. In addition to providing benefits for women fishermen groups, SNI as an organization will also be stronger, because part of the profits from this business are set aside for the organization's cash. This also supports the sustainability of the fishermen's movement in fighting for the rights and improving the welfare of its members.