REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, 

JAKARTA – The imported salt may begin to be sent to Indonesia in the middle of March, the Director General for Foreign Trade Affairs of the Ministry of Trade, Deddy Saleh, said on Tuesday. The two stages of sending in March and May are about 300,000 tonnes and 230,000 tonnes respectively.

Deddy mentioned seven salt importers listed in the Ministry of Trade, which are PT Sumartraco, PT Susanti Megah, PT Garindo Sejahtera, PT Budiono Madura, PT Aluma Kusumah, PT Garam, and PT Eliestar Primajaya. However, the quota of each importer has not yet been decided. 

The Ministry of Trade has been evaluating the salt importers based on their ability to absorb from the local product. “We will not permit those who refuse to absorb salt product from our farmers,” he said. 

The Director General for Marine, Coastal Areas, and Small Islands of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sudirman Saad, said government should ascertain the absorbing of the remaining salt stock before setting the import quota. Started from March 1, Indonesian Statistics (BPS) will cooperate with the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to calculate the available stock.

“The team will verify the salt stock in East, Central, and West Java until March 15,” Saad said. After they obtain the new data, the import will be conducted.

The national stock of salt in Desember 2011 is 306,000 tonnes, while Indonesia needs 120.000 tonnes salt per month. Since 2009, Indonesia has endured the increasing demand of imported salt. The country imports 957,000 and 923,000 salt in 2010 and 2011, mostly from India.

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