Susi Pudjiastuti Shocked Not Being Involved in Salt Import Draft
27 March 2018 08:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti claimed that she was shocked knowing she was not being involved in drafting the Government Regulation (PP) No.9/2018 on the commodity import of fisheries and sea salt as raw and industrial material.
“I was shocked that I’m not being involved in this PP No.9,” said Susi after a work meeting with The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV, Monday, March 26.
On March 15, President Joko Widodo ratified the regulation which stated the sea salt import is no longer belong to Ministry of Fisheries under reigned Susi but Ministry of Industry. The government regulation No. 9/2018 stipulated recommendation to import 676 thousand tons of industrial salt to 27 industries in the country.
Susi explained she now could not protect the salt farmer in the future. The statement was an answer to DPR’s Commission IV asking her related to the price of local salt. “How could I help the farmer if I could not protect them,” Susi stated.
Susi claimed she succeeded in stabilizing the price of local salt last year as suggested in the regulation issued by her ministry. “The result of our recommendation last year was great and the farmer gained profit,” she stated.
Susi Pudjiastuti said not only is the ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has the right to manage salt import, but also fish import. “The fish import is now under the ministry of industry,” she added.
M YUSUF MANURUNG
