GOVT LIKELY TO IMPORT SALT THIS YEAR

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 10 (ANTARA) - Despite its decision  last year to stop importing consumer salt, the government is likely to import the commodity this year as stocks at home are now running low.          In order to meet the country's need for salt in the March-July 2012 period, the government is expected to set a quota of  600,000 tons - 700,000 tons for salt imports this year.          Director General of External Trade at the Trade Ministry Deddy Saleh said the government had actually yet to decide whether or not to import the commodity.          "Based on our estimate, we have to import consumer salt because  stocks will finish at the end of February 2012. Our monthly need for salt reaches 120,000 tons so that we have to import some 600,000 - 700,000 tons," the director general said.          The maritime and fisheries ministry (KKP) and the government have different data on domestic salt  production last year (2011).  KKP said production reached 1.5 million tons while according to the government's data it was only 1.1 million tons.          The arrival of the rainy season in September 2011 disturbed the country's salt production and prevented the government from achieving its target production figure of 1.4 million tons.          Last year, then maritime and fishery minister Fadel Muhammad said  Indonesia's total need for salt reached 3.4 million tons in 2011. The country's total need for salt was formulated by related ministries. The  four related ministries  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.          Therefore, last year, the Indonesian government  decided to stop importing consumer salt in order to absorb local farmers' salt production which  was expected to reach 1.4 million tons a year.          "Thank God, we have decided to stop importing consumer salt," then 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.          The government made the decision as part of its efforts to solve problems among related ministries regarding the importation of consumer salt. However, salt for industry will remain to be imported.          Now that the consumer salt stocks are not enough, the government is pondering to import the commodity. "The government will  import the commodity, after it is discussed by different parties at the coordinating minister for economic affairs' office,"  Deddy Saleh said on Wednesday.          He noted that salt stocks at present were predicted to be enough for consumption until the end of this month only, so Indonesia is likely to import salt to meet its need through July.          The director general said that if Indonesia needed a stock of 120,000 tons of salt per month, then it should import 600,000 tons of consumer salt for the five-month period.          The estimate is based on survey results of independent surveyor Sucofindo on available stocks at the farmers' level, private businesses and state-owned salt firm PT Garam.          He said that  present salt stocks amounted to 200,000 tons, though about 60,000 tons have been used by the industrial sector. "The salt harvest season in the country will likely begin in August. We are worried that existing stocks will deplete  but we are going to discuss it," the said.          The maritime and fishery ministry  launched a smallholder's salt business empowerment program  (Pugar) this year with a budget amounting to Rp107 billion  and with a production target of 1.3 million tons.          The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reported  Indonesia¿s salt imports in the January ¿ December 2011 period totalled  2.84 million tons worth US$146.49 million. The commodity was imported from Australia, India, Singapore, Germany and New Zealand.          Regarding the need to import salt regardless of the fact that the government decided  last year to stop importing the commodity, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said that the grand harvest last year was only enough to meet domestic need until February.          Therefore, the minister said, the government had decided again to import salt to cover the shortage. "From where can we import salt to meet consumers' need from March  until the next grand harvest in August 2012?," the minister asked.          Yet, the marine and fisheries ministry had stuck to  its stance not to recommend the importation of salt until the grand harvest in August.          "We hope we are not going to import consumer salt," Maritime and Fishery Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said on Tuesday. He said that the need for salt this year could still  be met with domestic production. "We have announced that we are going to be self-sufficient in salt this year," he added.          According to the maritime and fishery ministry, the need for salt in 2011 was 2.9 million tons, consisting of 1.1 million tons of consumer salt and 1.8 million tons for industry.          In the meantime, the trade ministry said total need for salt was 3.15 million tons, consisting of 1.38 million tons for consumption and 1.77 million tons for industry. Domestic  salt production last year was 1.4 million tons, all of which was allocated for consumption. ***2*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/00:45/a014) 11-02-2012 00:45:0