JAKARTA – Maritime and Fishery Ministry (KKP) has prepared IDR 700 billion budget to realize salt self-supporting in 2017. The budget is allocated for the next three years detailing IDR 100 billion for creating master plan and detail engineering design (DED) and IDR 600 billion for high density polyethylene (HDPE)-type geo-membrane technology procurement in 3 thousand-hectare salt field in all Indonesian salt production hubs.
KKP’s Director General for Coastal Areas and Small Islands, Sudirman Saad, said the government has finally completed the arrangement of national salt industrial roadmap in a month. Through the roadmap arranged since the early month, Indonesia is targeted to reach salt self-supporting in 2017 either for consumption salt or industrial salt. “The government has agreed a roadmap for salt industry with 2017 self-supporting target,” said Saad after salt industrial roadmap final meeting in Jakarta last week.
Saad explained KKP acts in on-farm level or farmers. Three thousand-hectare salt field will be revitalized with geo-membrane technology. Through this method, salt productivity per year is targeted to reach 120 tons per hectare. Indonesian salt field area is predicted to be 30 thousand hectares and 10% of which will be installed with geo-membrane. “KKP has prepared IDR 700 billion budget for the next three years for salt self-supporting,” he said.
Saad said IDR 100 billion is for master plan and DED while IDR 600 billion is for HDPE geo-membrane technology procurement for 3 thousand-hectare salt field. “This HDPE sheet will be a water-resistant sheet in salt field. IDR 600 billion investment is actually for the next 10 years since HDPE endurance can reach 10 years,” Saad explained.
Currently, national salt need for consumption and industry reaches 3.8-4 million tons per year. Meanwhile, people’s salt production is only 2.5 million tons per year. Domestic market need is predicted to grow 3 percent per year so through salt industrial roadmap, self-supporting can be achieved with annual production of 4.6 million tons in 2017. “In 2017, the government wants 90% of people’s salt quality to meet industrial standard while PT Garam is asked to produce 100% industrial-quality salt,” he said. (Investor Daily)
