Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Calls for Stop to Salt Imports

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA) - The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has asked the Trade Ministry to stop the importation of consumption salt as local farmers' salt production recorded a surplus of 1.5 million tons last year. "We have proposed to the Trade Ministry to stop the importation of consumption salt. The importation of industrial salt should be adjusted to the absorption of people's salt the more so because the production of farmer's salt in 2012 recorded a surplus of 1.5 million tons," the ministry's Director General of Sea, Coast and Small Islands Sudirman Saad said here on Wednesday. The Trade Minister's Regulation No. 58/2012 on the importation of salt should accommodate salt farmers' interests, he said. "There is no need for the government to license the importation of consumption salt. Industrial salt could be imported, provided the importer absorbs the farmer's salt by increasing its quality from kw-3 to kw-2 or kw-1 by means of simple processing technology," he said. If the quality of the farmer's salt can be improved the worst scenario will be salt stocks will increase by 1 million tons plus a salt surplus of 1.5 million tons this year with low quality.(*)