JAKARTA. Despite having the second-longest coastline in the world after Canada, Indonesia is aiming to import 3 million tons of salt this year, a 42.86 percent increase compared to 2.1 million tons last year. Most of the imported salt will be used to meet the needs of the chemical industry. Last year, the industry absorbed 1.7 million tons of salt, while the remaining 400,000 tons were for public consumption, according to the data compiled by state-owned salt producer Garam. “We are relatively self-sustainable in terms of salt for [public] consumption, but we still have a deficit in supplying salt for industrial use, thus salt imports are unavoidable. Every year, the industry’s demand keeps increasing,” said Garam president director R. Achmad Budiono in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), as quoted by kompas.com on Aug. 25.
Indonesia expects 42% increase in salt imports
JAKARTA. Despite having the second-longest coastline in the world after Canada, Indonesia is aiming to import 3 million tons of salt this year, a 42.86 percent increase compared to 2.1 million tons last year. Most of the imported salt will be used to meet the needs of the chemical industry. Last year, the industry absorbed 1.7 million tons of salt, while the remaining 400,000 tons were for public consumption, according to the data compiled by state-owned salt producer Garam. “We are relatively self-sustainable in terms of salt for [public] consumption, but we still have a deficit in supplying salt for industrial use, thus salt imports are unavoidable. Every year, the industry’s demand keeps increasing,” said Garam president director R. Achmad Budiono in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), as quoted by kompas.com on Aug. 25.