TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said that we cannot avoid salt import in order to meet domestic needs.
"Salt import is inevitable since salt production in Indonesia is very low and there are very limited numbers of salt factories in Indonesia," he said in Semarang on Sunday (30/7).
With that in mind, Ganjar supports Trade Ministry’s plan to import salt to cope with the scarcity. He also expects government to immediately build salt factories to maintain production continuity and to ensure the quality of the salt produced.
"Despite the fact that seas make up two thirds of Indonesia, we still need to import salt because we cannot produce salt," he added.
Central Java Marine and Fishery Agency head Lalu M. Syafriadi said that Central Java is the second largest salt producer in Indonesia after East Java Province had under 10 percent decline in production from 2016 to mid-2017. He further explained that the drop is due to wet spells and he expects the production in 2017 will increase since wet spells seem to cease.
ANTARA