Gov’t Formulates Strategies to Push for Industrial-Grade Salt Production

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita during his inspection (Photo by: Documentation of Ministry of Industry PR).

Ministry of Industry has announced it is formulating strategies to push for the production of industrial-grade salt in the country.

The need for industrial salt is projected to continue to rise every year. “The need for salt in 2020 will reach 4.4 million tons, with 84% of this figure being for the needs of the manufacturing industry, 5-7% of the existing industry, as well as the addition of new industries,” Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in Jakarta, Friday (9/10).

For the record, the move is a follow-up to the President’s directive to boost the productivity and improve the quality of salt made by the people.

The Ministry, the Minister said, continues to coordinate with other ministries and agencies in an effort to enhance the quality of domestic salt production by improving production methods and applying technology both on land and in the salt processing industry.

“The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) under the coordination of Ministry of Research and Technology has launched several programs to increase the use of local salt in the industrial sector,” Agus said.

Those programs included the application of landless salt technology, of which the salt was produced from the rejected brine of the Steam Power Plant (PLTU).

That way, according to him, it is expected to encourage the people’s salt refining factory to produce industrial salt. “This project has started in salt producer area Gresik in East Java province with a capacity of 40 thousand tons,” he added.

The Government, Agus said, has strived to increase integrated salt land of at least 400 hectares.

“The Government is also pushing for investment in the development of industrial salt fields in East Nusa Tenggara and revitalization and development of pharmaceutical salt factory run by state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma,” he said. (Public Relations Bureau of Ministry of Industry/UN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Muhardi