TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Industry continues to develop the domestic steel industry since the demand exceeds the actual production.
“Total production of raw slabs and billets accumulate to 7.8 million tons in 2017, while the national consumption was 13.6 million tons,” said Industry Ministry metal industry director Doddy Rahadi today, Oct. 19.
The demands grew exponentially since the government is currently pushing for infrastructure development. Steel is also essential for the manufacturing sector such as the automotive industry, shipping industry, and heavy machinery.
Therefore, Doddy said, the government is attempting to attract new investments and pushing for existing industries to expand. One of them is the cluster steel industry in Cilegon, Banten, which is expected to produce up to 10 million tons of steel by 2025.
Industry Minister Airlangga Hartanto stated that the government is determined to protect the domestic steel industry from the swarms of import products, which aligns with the production at the global level.
Caesar Akbar
