Modelling of Sustainable Blue Swimming Crab Supply Chain in East Java Using Soft System Methodology

Abstract

Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) is one of Indonesia's highest-export fishery commodities. Capture fisheries are dominated by fishermen with low productivity, efficiency, and income levels. There is a high-profit disparity between upstream and downstream actors, where fishermen get the lowest profit. This study aims to identify the causes of profit disparities between supply chain actors and propose a supply chain model to solve the profit disparity problem. The supply chain actors observed were fishermen, mini plants, processing companies, and exporters of blue swimming crab. Determining variables that affect profit gain based on the business activities of the supply chain actors of blue swimming crab was carried out. The conceptual model was made using the Soft System Methodology (SSM). The analysis result showed that the causes of profit disparity were the vast number of fishermen, lack of product value understanding, minimum capital and access to capital, awareness of fishing gear utilization, and the individual fisherman's work system. The conceptual model of the blue swimming crab supply chain proposed consists of the formation of fishing groups, coordination between fishing groups and Perum Perindo, collaborating with Pokja and fishing groups, and increasing collaboration between all supply chain actors of blue swimming crab.

Keywords

• blue swimming crab
• fishermen
• soft system methodology
• supply chain