REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government would import 3.7 million tons of salt to meet industry demand, and allow them to design a better business expansion plan. "We have decided to import 3.7 million tons, but it would not be made all at once. We will see our capacity in a month," the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution said after a closed-door meeting on industrial salt here on Friday.

Darmin said, the Industry Ministry has asked for the import because industrial salt are not produced in the country while it is needed to encourage production.

He added that the import volume has been adjusted with the industry demand per year, thus the Trade Ministry would not have to seek recommendation from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry when it need to import the commodity within the year.

"The regulation is still under the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), but import of industrial salt would not need recommendation for each import, but the Trade Ministry would stick on the limit of 3.6 million tons," Darmin said.

Some industries that need the salt among others are pharmaceutical and petrochemical industry that would use the commodity to boost production and export.

Darmin assured that the import would not affect local salt production because the local-made salt would only be used for consumption and fish salting.

"We want our industry to make a better plan, because it would be difficult to make a plan while they don't have salt. We did not produce this salt in local industry, we only produced consumption salt," he said. 

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