Strategy for the Development of Seaweed Cultivation in Karawang Regency, West Java Province

Seaweed is one of the leading commodities in the marine sector which has a high selling value. However, this potential is currently not optimally utilized in Karawang Regency. Karawang Regency has a large enough potential for aquaculture ponds, has a pond area of 18,273.30 hectares, and only 1% is cultivated for seaweed. This research aims to formulate a seaweed cultivation business development strategy that has not developed optimally. The respondents in this research were all 60 seaweed cultivators in Karawang Regency. The data used were primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained through an interview with seaweed cultivators and using the questionnaire. Secondary data were obtained from institutions/agencies related to research, such as the Karawang Regency Fisheries Service The data analysis method used in this research is qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis was used to determine a seaweed cultivation development strategy using a SWOT analysis. The results showed that the relative position of seaweed cultivation development based on the SWOT analysis is in the first quadrant which means the strategy used is a progressive or aggressive. The progressive strategy of developing seaweed cultivation can be carried out with strategies such as increasing production to meet the demand for seaweed, expanding the area for seaweed cultivation, empowering local communities about seaweed cultivation and diversifying processed seaweed products.