Government Opens Industrial Salt Import Faucet Again

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has decided to reopen the import tap for industrial salt commodities to food self-sufficiency in 2027.

After previously being closed to realize salt self-sufficiency.

The closure of the import tap is contained in the revision of the Presidential Regulation (Perpres) concerning the Acceleration of National Trade Development.

The regulation states that salt imports will be stopped starting January 2025 to achieve self-sufficiency in salt.

For your information, the previous salt was included in the four food self-sufficiency target commodities in 2025 along with rice, livestock feed corn, and sugar. However, the food self-sufficiency target was revised.

"It's okay. Because the regulations have been made for relaxation until 2027," said Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan after the Coordinating Meeting for Changes in the Trade Balance at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs Office, Jakarta, Friday, May 16.

Zulhas, as he is familiarly called, said the government is targeting salt self-sufficiency in 2027.

Therefore, the tap for importing industrial salt was closed in January 2025. The need for salt will be met through domestic production by salt farmers and business entities.

However, continued Zulhas, because the national salt industry is not yet running, the government has decided to allow the import tap to be reopened.

"So it was agreed, because we shouted, yes, (the industry) pharmaceuticals, food and drinks) yes. That's for infusion, you use salt. Well, we can't make that yet, in 2027 we can. So we agreed earlier for imports," he said.