Indonesia Has 22,000 Hectares of Salt Land

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Marine Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said Indonesia has 22,000 hectares of land that can be used to produce salt.

Unfortunately, although some have been produced, the quality of salt produced is not optimal because of the use of poor technology.

"We have already invested, we have 22,000 hectares of land that can be planted for salt, the salt has been partly made, but not using good technology so the quality may be only 80 percent, it should be 94-97 percent," he said at Kemaritiman Ministry of Agriculture on Monday ( 14/8/2017)

Luhut mentions 22,000 hectares of salt land is spread throughout the country, especially in East Nusa Tenggara which has almost 15,000 hectares and the rest are spread in Java, Madura and Jeneponto (South Sulawesi).

The land area of ​​salt is calculated based on the status of new and existing potentials.

"It is already there and new," said Minister Sofyan Djalil (Minister of Agriculture and Spatial / Head of National Land Agency) also explained the potential of the region, "he said.

The former minister for political security policy coordination said that since the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) already has technology to increase the production and quality of salt, the government wants the technology to be implemented soon.

The government and PT Garam (Persero) will develop a program on the plan to develop and implement the salt productivity improvement program.

"We hope next Tuesday (22/8) there is a concept of how long it can start to operate and when about we can stop imports, also how the cost structure of salt production so that farmers are not harmed," he explained.

Luhut added, the development of 22,000 hectares of salt land will be done in parallel with modernization.

Nevertheless, the recognition of the eastern part of Indonesia will get priority because of the better quality of seawater compared to around the contaminated Central Java region.

"They will count, we will join PT Garam with the people, the small farmers will be organized into groups of cooperatives to be efficient and made their own companies, registered, have their shares there," he said.

Involve Separate People, Minister of ATR / Head of BPN Sofyan Djalil said salt productivity can be increased by involving the community in salt production with core-plasma partnership. However, the availability of a good salt field becomes the main point to be done.

"If the government wants to make a salt field, or anyone wants to make a good salt mine, the community will voluntarily participate," he said.

The scheme has taken place in Bipolo Village, Kupang District, NTT, where PT Garam is building 400 hectares of land where the community offers to participate in the management. The system turned out to make the salt productivity becomes high.

"In Bipolo it is so PT Salt makes salt land, they see high productivity, better technology, people who had a marginal land will participate so that the land can grow and productivity increases," explained Sofyan.

The government is working on extending the salt production area. It is hoped that the effort will be able to overcome the problem of salt scarcity that often happens at once so that Indonesia can reduce the import of salt. The program will be undertaken under the coordination of Kemenko Kemaritiman.