TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Friday March 20, 2026. Here are the highlights: Indonesia’s Fisheries Exports Decline as Iran War Disrupts Trade; Indonesia Considers Oil and Gas Imports From Brunei, Russia; and Indonesia Officially Sets Eid al-Fitr for March 21.
The following is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today:
1. Indonesia’s Fisheries Exports Decline as Iran War Disrupts Trade Indonesia’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has recorded a decline in the volume of fishery exports due to the conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran that erupted around late February 2026. “In terms of volume, it is indeed somewhat constrained,” said Head of the Agency for the Control and Supervision of the Quality of Marine and Fishery Products, Ishartini, in a written statement on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Ishartini explained that the decline in exports was not due to weakened demand. According to her, the decrease in export volume is due to constraints in the global supply chain. Constraints in the global supply chain due to geopolitical conflict occur because of changes in shipping routes, increased logistics costs, and limited container and mother vessel availability. “All of these also contribute to raising product prices,” she said.
2. Indonesia Considers Oil and Gas Imports From Brunei, Russia Indonesia is considering importing oil from a wider range of suppliers, including Brunei Darussalam and Russia, as the government seeks to strengthen energy security amid geopolitical uncertainty caused by the escalating Iran-Israel conflict. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the move is aimed at diversifying Indonesia’s energy supply and reducing dependence on any single country or region. “All countries are possible. What is important for us right now is the availability of the goods, and secondly, price competitiveness. That is the most important,” Bahlil said at the Energy Ministry office in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Reuters also reported that Indonesia is considering oil purchases from Russia as global crude prices rise due to the conflict in the Middle East. According to Bahlil, the option to import oil from Russia has become more feasible after the United States issued a 30-day waiver allowing countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products stranded at sea.
3. Indonesia Officially Sets Eid al-Fitr for March 21 The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, has officially declared that Eid al-Fitr, marking 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijri, will fall on Saturday, March 21, 2026. “Based on astronomical calculations and the fact that the crescent moon was not sighted, it has been agreed that 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijri will fall on Saturday, March 21, 2026,” Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said during a press conference following the isbat session for 1 Shawwal 1447 Hijri at the ministry’s office in Jakarta on Thursday. Nasaruddin said the decision was made after moon-sighting observations conducted by the ministry’s Hisab Rukyat Team, which found that the crescent moon’s position across Indonesia did not meet the criteria set by MABIMS, a regional grouping of religious authorities from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
