TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Brahmantya Satya Murti, director general of marine space management at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, said that the government is planning to expand salt fields. He added that idle lands will be acquired for PT Garam to conduct its operations.
Brahmanya revealed that a 5,000-hectare land in Kupang Gulf, East Nusa Tenggara, and a 1,700-hectare land in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, have the potential to be used as salt fields.
“We will go to NTT and check them to see how many hectares we can use,” Brahmantya said on Tuesday, August 8, 2017.
According to Brahmantya, the salt field expansion plan is aimed at improving the national salt industry. He explained that PT Garam has 400 hectares of lands in East Nusa Tenggara that will be expanded.
East Nusa Tenggara was chosen for the program since the region has 6-8 months dry season and higher salinity. Brahmantya said that East Nusa Tenggara’s precipitation is perfect for the salt industry. “[The productivity is] 100-120 tons per hectare,” he said.
DIKO OKTARA
