The Target of Stopping the Import of Salt in 2027 is Difficult to Achieve Without a Transparent Balance of Needs

Salt imports (Antara)

JAKARTA - The government's target to stop importing salt by 2027 is considered difficult to achieve if the preparation of the national salt balance is not carried out transparently and is based on reliable data on supply and industry needs.

The absence of an accurate balance has the potential to make import policies exceed actual needs and open up loopholes for misuse.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan expressed optimism that Indonesia could stop importing salt starting in 2027, and in line with this target, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) continues to encourage the acceleration of salt self-sufficiency through improving production quality, developing downstream, and improving the governance of the salt sector.

Head of the Macro Economics and Finance Center of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Muhammad Rizal Taufikurahman, said import policies must be based on the balance of accurate industrial needs and be carried out selectively according to specifications that have not been met domestically.

"Import policies must be accompanied by distribution supervision so that they do not enter the consumer market, and integrated with the obligation to absorb local salt that has met quality standards," said Rizal.

Currently, national salt production is in the range of 2.5 million tons per year, while domestic demand reaches around 4.9 million tons and is expected to increase to 5.3 million tons by 2029.

In 2024, more than 55 percent of salt needs are still met through imports, especially to meet the needs of high-specification industrial salt, thus, the shortage of supply occurs more in the industrial sector than in the consumption of salt.

To overcome this condition, the government has issued Presidential Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Acceleration of National Salt Development as the basis for implementing the salt self-sufficiency program in 2027.

In addition, the government also opens investment opportunities for the private sector to support the acceleration of the program.

However, the issue of quality and continuity of supply is not necessarily used as an excuse to expand imports or increase the quota for imported salt, because a number of national salt industry players have been able to implement purification technology and standardization of quality that are no longer dependent on weather conditions.

On the other hand, the government is also developing the National Salt Industry Center Area (K-SIGN) in Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara.

This KKP priority program is expected to be able to strengthen national production capacity in order to achieve the salt self-sufficiency target in 2027.

Domestic production capacity that has met quality standards needs to be calculated objectively in the preparation of the national balance of needs, without adequate supervision, there is a risk that the determination of import needs will be too large, while the actual domestic production capacity is not taken into account.

One example is the food and beverage industry sector which receives special treatment in the applicable regulations.

Therefore, there is still a question about the actual amount of import needs required by the sector.

In addition, it needs to be ascertained whether the determination of the import volume has been based on transparent data, both from the producer and consumer sides, and can be accounted for.

Rizal emphasized that import reduction should be carried out gradually through increasing the competitiveness of national industries, not just through administrative restrictions.

According to him, the modernization of salt ponds, the development of purification industries, and the strengthening of partnerships between farmers and user industries need to be the main focus in realizing national salt self-sufficiency.