Sailing Under The Stars

This article details the trials and tribulations of one of the founding fathers of our prawn farming community. It is a remarkable story filled with love, happiness and friendship whilst facing adversity.

There are many reasons why our farmers got into the practise. For some, they were enticed by the tranquil life, whilst for others, it is a way to make a comfortable living. But for all, it is because farming is in their blood. Such a farmer is Haji Mangkanna, the main elder who established the farming community, and this is his story.

He is a small man, plainly dressed and had a radiating grin that stretched from ear to ear. He spoke softly and was never impartial to tell a joke here and there. Although he was completely normal and carried an air of modesty, it soon became clear that he was rather an extraordinary man.

His story starts with his uncle embarking on a journey looking for fishing opportunities elsewhere. Upon his return, his uncle took him and his family on a 40-day voyage to Kalimantan from Sulawesi. Although nowadays it just takes an hour by plane, they rowed their way through violent waves. When nightfall came, they often used the stars as navigation. Upon hearing this, it is hard not to imagine how illuminated the night’s sky would have been and how idyllic that would’ve looked. When they reached Kalimantan, they began to build a simple hut to live in, where he spent most of his childhood either looking after his siblings or helping his father fish.

By the time he reached the end of his adolescent years, the demand for fish was declining. Disheartening as it may seem, the demand for prawns began to increase, so he began to raise prawns instead. He was able to do this as the government opened the land for enterprise in 1985 and he seized the opportunity by purchasing farm land. Whilst dealing with prawns, he began to join seminars, talks and undertook the government provided training for prawn farming. However, these often spoke of (semi)intensive practises and for that you needed large capital investments.

Lacking in both capital and the desire to controlling the pond environment, as these methods suggested, he shifted his focus onto traditional farming. His farm was (and still is) governed by nature, so implementing semi-intensive methods was virtually impossible and against his beliefs. He recalled a talk he attended in Bangkok about the dangers of intensive farming to the environment, which is why he pursued extensive farming only. After 7 years of failing and trying, he managed to create a farming model that was environmentally friendly and began to call his family members and members of his community to work on them.

He wanted to pursue this out-of-the-norm prawn farming method as he believed the sea is rich with nutrients and harbours the factors needed to raise prawns. So, why mess with nature? It was clear in the way he spoke, he had respect for nature and valued its importance.

As his story perpetuated the theme of strong family ties, it was clear he is family-oriented. He stated that being the eldest came with responsibilities. By being relied upon to look after his siblings fostered his desire to protect them and his family. He also wanted to create independency and not make his family reliant on him, so he created job opportunities which means he can still protect them, but they have autonomy over their own work.

It was at this point he spoke of his best friend Haji Syahrani. He saw that he frequently incurred a loss and was cheated on by large organisations and so asked him if he would like to run the hatchery. Despite his family saying no, Haji Mangkanna did not listen. He simply told me that those who fail, will eventually learn from their mistakes and never go down the path again. His unfaltering faith in his best friend proved worthwhile as to this day, he still successfully runs the hatchery.

He concluded that being through poverty and experiencing hardships from an early age meant he did not want others to go through that. Family or not, he spoke of how he does not want anyone to go a day without food. Being a Muslim, he felt it was wrong to leave people hungry and it was interesting that he referenced his faith in that way. From the conversation, it was clear that, his faith influenced his morals too.

If there is anything to take away from his story it is the following:

• Don’t stop trying for what you believe in despite any setbacks you may face.

• Be considerate of others.

• Never ever lose faith in the people around you.

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About The Happy Prawn Co.

The Happy Prawn Co. is an independent, ethical brand producing 100% natural, 100% traceable Black Tiger prawns from Indonesia. Aimed at seafood lovers and foodies alike, the brand officially launched in 2018, but it’s the result of more than a decade’s dedication.

Check out this short video about our story here: