RI STOPS IMPORTING CONSUMPTION SALT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 7 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has decided to stop importing consumption salt in order to absorb local farmers' salt production which  reaches 1.4 million tons a year.          "Thanks God, we have decided to stop importing consumption salt," Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Minister Fadel Muhammad said after attending a coordination meeting on food affairs at the office of the coordinating minister for economic affairs here on Wednesday.          The government made the decision as part of the efforts to solve problems among related ministries regarding the importation of consumption salt. However, salt for industry will remain to be imported.          Indonesia's total need for salt reaches 3.4 million tons this year. The country's total need for salt was formulated by related ministries. Fadel said earlier that four related ministries had agreed to set the national need for salt at 3.4 million tons, consisting of 1.6 million tons for consumption and 1.8 tons for industry.        "The need for 3.4 million tons of salt was agreed by four ministries, namely the trade ministry, the industry ministry, the maritime and fisheries ministry (KKP) and the office of coordinating minister for economic affairs," Fadel Muhammad said on Monday.          He said that the need for 3.4 million tons of salt would be met with domestic production and imports. The imported salt is for industry. Fadel said that the country's salt production in 2011 was estimated at 1.4 million tons so that it was agreed that a total of 2 million tons for industry would imported this year.          "About 200 thousands tons of salt will be imported for consumption and 1.8 million tons of others will be imported for industry," he said.          In the meantime, Coordinating Minster for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said the government was determined to increase production and become self-reliant in salt production. The government will assist the ministry of maritime and fisheries affairs in increasing the country's salt production.       The ministry of maritime and fisheries affairs has so far been tough on its stand to boost salt production at home. Therefore, Fadel said his side was still prepared and accept the fact that salt still should be imported but the imported salt was really for the need of industry and meet the required standards.          "It is okey to import salt if it is for industrial need and our production is still unable to meet the required standards. But import must be in a limited volume," the maritime and fisheries affairs minister said.           Actually, Fadel is firmly  opposed to the importation of salt for consumption so that it should be stopped.  "I am frontally opposed to the importation of salt and would not be open to any negotiations. I want salt to be produced at home," he said.           Therefore, the minister said  the salt  that already imported should be re-exported so that it would not disturb salt industry at home.           "The best option is to re-export the already imported salt because it is not good to destroy food good," Fadel said. He said that if Indonesia was able to produce salt it should not import it again. As a great nation with long stretches of coastal areas, it is very embarrassing to import salt.          It was earlier reported that the Customs and Excise officials of Belawan port in North Sumatra had confiscated a total of 29,000 tons of salt which were imported by PT Garindo from India. The Customs and Excise office still sealed the commodity following a report by the ministry of maritime and fisheries that the salt was problematic.          "The salt which we have imported is still under the seal of the Customs and Excise office of Belawan. We are still waiting for the decision of the government about what to do with the salt," Susistriono of  PT Garindo told ANTARA in Medan.          Director General for Maritime, Coastal Area and Small Island Affairs Sudirman Saad has regretted the fact that a present salt was still imported in large volumes, which reached some 1.4 million tons per annum.           The need for consumption salt in 2011 is only 1.6 million tons while production at home is 1.4 million tons so that the real need for importation is only 200 thousand tons.           Yet, the government has previously set a quota of salt import at 1.04 million tons in 2011.  "But thanks God, we have decided to stop importing consumption salt," Fadel said after the coordination meeting on Wednesday.          The Maritime and Fisheries Ministry has planned to salt self sufficient in 2014 with initial steps of gradually reducing imported salt to 2.18 million tons in 2010 and 1.02 million tons in 2011.          He said that his ministry had made some efforts to increase the country's salt production such as through the Smallholder's Salt Program. He said that Indonesia needed to follow Brazil which supported the development of its domestic salt industry.***5*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/22:20/a014) 07-09-2011 22:33: