Successfully Develop Vannamei Shrimp in Small Land, Jumari Invites Gen Z to Study Fisheries at Unismuh

MAKASSAR — Limited land is not an excuse to stop dreaming of building a business in the fisheries sector. This is proven by Jumari, a practitioner who has successfully developed vannamei shrimp cultivation on limited land and now encourages young people, especially Gen Z, to be brave in pursuing fisheries science.

Jumari shared this story during a Practical Fisheries Lecturer event organized by the Fisheries Cultivation Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar (Unismuh Makassar), Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the Faculty of Agriculture Building, Iqra Tower, Floor 6.

The event, themed "Optimizing Urban Aquaculture as a Smart Solution for Vannamei Shrimp Cultivation in Narrow Urban Land", provided a platform for students to see business opportunities in fisheries firsthand and hear real-world experiences from business practitioners. The Head of the Fisheries Cultivation Study Program at Unismuh Makassar, Ir. Akmaluddin, S.Pi., M.Si., IPM, said that the practical lecturer event was designed to motivate and broaden students' understanding of the fisheries business world.

According to him, the experience of practitioners in the field can be an inspiration for students not only to be job seekers after graduation, but also to have the courage to build their own businesses.

"The purpose of this practical lecturer event is to motivate and provide additional insights to Fisheries Cultivation students. So that graduates produced have the same spirit in building fisheries businesses," said Akmaluddin.

He added that the meeting between academics and practitioners is also expected to develop into a strategic partnership, especially in facing various problems that arise in field cultivation practices.

Learning Fisheries from Scratch Interestingly, Jumari's journey in vannamei shrimp cultivation did not begin with a fisheries education background.

Instead, he learned vannamei shrimp cultivation independently from the basics. He learned from various sources of knowledge, starting from reading textbooks, discussing with fisheries academics, to asking researchers with expertise in fisheries.

He then applied this knowledge directly on limited land in his area.

For Jumari, this process is proof that the willingness to learn is an important capital in building a business. "Don't be afraid and ashamed to start a business even if it's small. Don't be afraid to learn and ask experts. Keep learning," he said to students.

Once Failed, Shrimp Ready to Die

Jumari's current success was not achieved through an easy path. He admitted that he had experienced various failures in running vannamei shrimp cultivation business. One of the most difficult experiences was when the shrimp that was ready for harvest suddenly died almost simultaneously.

However, this failure did not make him give up. Instead, he used this experience as an evaluation material to improve the cultivation system. Jumari then created Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) based on various experiences and failures he had experienced. As a result, the application of these SOPs helped to improve his performance. He was able to achieve a growth success rate of up to 85 percent in 10 cycles of cultivation.

According to Jumari, there are three important habits that must be possessed by cultivators, namely consistently recording shrimp growth and development, consistently reading literature, and not being afraid to ask experts. From Shrimp to Chicken Interestingly, Jumari's business, which was initially focused on vannamei shrimp farming, has now expanded to farming of crabs and chicken farming.

These business activities also have an impact on the surrounding community. As a RW chairman, he tries to ensure that the existence of his business not only provides individual profits, but also provides social and economic benefits to the community.

In developing his business, Jumari also began to utilize renewable energy technology. He said that his business received 11,000 watt solar panel from the United States to help meet the electricity needs.

According to him, vannamei shrimp cultivation has promising prospects due to support from high and stable market demand, plus the development of technology that creates more efficient cultivation opportunities.

Campus Encourages Students to See Industrial Opportunities

Representing the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and also opening the event, Dr. Ir. Nurdin Mappa, MM, expressed his appreciation for Jumari's willingness to attend and share his experience with students. According to Nurdin, the presence of active practitioners like Jumari is a valuable opportunity for students to gain real-world experience in the fisheries industry.