Salt Mafia Cartel Disadvantages National Salt Ponders

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta- The People's Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) wants an indication of a mafia or cartel in the import of salt should be traced seriously by the government because it can erode the welfare level of national salt farmers.

"This is important as soon as possible because salt imports hit local salt prices and killed the efforts of salt farmers in Indonesia which currently number more than 21 thousand people," said Kiara Secretary General Susan Herawati to media crew in Jakarta on Monday (7/8 / 2017)

In addition, she said, the import of 75,000 tons of salt from Australia which was recently conducted was considered to straddle Law no. 7 of 2016 on Protection and Empowerment of Fishermen, Fish Cultivators, and Salt farmers.

Through Law no. 7/2016, he continued, the Government should have the political will to stop importing salt because this practice lasts for a long time.

Kiara Data and Information Center noted, since at least 1990 the import of salt has been done as much as 349,042 tons more with a total value of 16.97 million US dollars.

She denounced the salt imports carried out continuously to this day by sheltering behind the reasons for the scarcity of salt stocks as a result of climate damage and weather anomalies.

Earlier, DPP Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar said the solution to the scarcity of salt commodities should be done thoroughly and not only by using import mechanisms because it could undermine the welfare level of local salt farmers.

"There should be a quick solution, not just import, the government will take concrete steps to empower the salt farmers, the salt industry, the salt companies how to handle it," he said.

According to Muhaimin Iskandar, it is important to find a comprehensive solution because many salt companies have collapsed, but it is not criticized.

In addition, he said, the recent phenomenon of salt scarcity has also resulted in high prices of salt and so did the price of staples for food and industry.

"The salt scarcity is not just about the Ministry of Commerce but also the affairs of the marine ministry, let's look for a comprehensive solution of how to empower salt farmers," he said.

Muhaimin also deplored the plan of salt import that has been decided by the government in order to meet the needs of salt consumption in the community.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Center for Maritime Studies for Humanity Abdul Halim explicitly stated that the import tap opening that has occurred so far must be stopped. Moreover, the government again targeted the national salt production of 3.2 million tons in 2017 and the increase of salt farmer’s welfare with the support of the state budget of Rp9.2 trillion. This is stated in the Financial Note of APBN 2017.

Poor performance in the field of pergaraman, according to him, stems related to the performance of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Trade, and PT Garam, which failed to encourage salt production and improve the welfare of salt farmers.

He reminded that the production of salt in 2016 is only 118.056 tons or equivalent to 3.7 percent of the 3.2 million tons targeted by the government in 2016. (Ant)